Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL) has announced the arrest of four suspected oil thieves in Delta State.
Naijaonpoint reports that TSSNL is one of the firms engaged by the Federal Government to provide pipeline surveillance and protection services.
The suspects were apprehended following the interception of a vessel, MT Thor, and are currently under investigation over the alleged illegal dealings of crude oil.
Speaking at the handover of the suspects and the vessel at the Koko Port, Delta State, Tantita’s Executive Director of Operations, Captain Warredi Enisouh, stated that the suspects were arrested aboard the MT Thor with an unspecified quantity of petroleum products believed to have been illegally sourced.
A situation report issued by the Head of Investigation (HoI), Special Prosecution Team (SPT) of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft, CSP Omar Sini, disclosed that the vessel was intercepted on 15 December 2025 along the Kokpo–Excravos axis of Delta State.
According to the report, Tantita alerted the HoI of the SPT after intercepting the vessel, which was laden with crude oil allegedly obtained through illicit means.
Investigators further alleged that MT Thor was being escorted by personnel of the Police Marine Unit, Delta State, who reportedly claimed they were acting on directives from the Force Intelligence Department (FID), Abuja.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the vessel, now classified as an exhibit in an ongoing criminal investigation, is linked to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited.
Authorities stated that documents and correspondence related to the jetty had been obtained and were currently under review.
The owner and promoter of the jetty, identified as Ebenezer, was contacted by investigators and reportedly submitted additional documents, including court orders, which are also being analysed as part of the investigation.
Providing further details, CSP Sini said that on 16 December 2025, a joint investigation team led by him and Capt. Warredi of Tantita, conducted a Joint Inspection Visit (JIV) in Koko.
According to him, the team initially met at Tantita’s corporate headquarters in Warri for a briefing, which was attended by the jetty owner, before proceeding to Koko to obtain samples from MT Thor.
However, the vessel had not yet arrived at the jetty, having been towed from an earlier location by security operatives.
While awaiting its arrival, the joint team inspected other containers suspected to be carrying crude oil within the premises of Ebenco Global Links Limited, where samples were taken from a storage barge.
MT Thor eventually berthed at about 8:30 p.m. on 16 December, prompting the suspension of sampling and related procedures until the following day.
On 17 December 2025, investigators visited the jetty in the company of staff from the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), who obtained a sample of the petroleum product for the purpose of analysing it and conducting other investigative formalities.
CSP Sini reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to dismantling crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta, assuring that the eventual findings will determine the next line of action in accordance with extant law.
He noted that the Inter-Agency Task Force commenced operations in March, at a time when Nigeria’s crude oil production stood at about 1.4 million barrels per day, adding that sustained enforcement efforts have helped raise output to approximately 1.8 million barrels per day.
However, there is a revelation that judicial outcomes have not always supported the fight against oil theft, pointing out that while the law prescribes penalties extending to life imprisonment, some courts have exercised discretion by imposing lighter sentences, a development he said undermines national economic interests.