Tension Between Navy and Tompolo Private Security Firm over Suspected Oil Theft

A recent incident involving the interception of an oil tanker by private security firm Tompolo's Tantita exposed underlying tensions between Tantita and Nigeria's Navy over the battle against oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

Tantita, contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to help fight oil theft, intercepted the tanker MT PRAISEL, escorted by Navy personnel, suspecting it was carrying stolen crude oil. This led to a clash with the Navy, which felt Tantita overstepped its authority. The Navy maintained the tanker had approval from regulators to transport industrial fuel oil, not crude oil.

The clash reflects disagreements over the role private security firms should play, with some top Navy officials feeling Tantita is encroaching on the Navy's jurisdiction. Tantita has uncovered extensive oil theft since being contracted, causing embarrassment for security agencies. Its backers claim Tantita is acting appropriately to help address oil theft.

After detaining the tanker, tests found it was not carrying crude oil, vindicating the Navy's position. But the spat exposed the tensions between the security agencies and Tantita.

Culled: Vanguard

Disclaimer

The views expressed in the comments section do not represent the opinions of Streaming Naija or any of its employees. www.streamingnaija.com is not responsible for opinions, articles, or features that are not generated by its staff and management. We want to emphasize that personal or sponsored opinions, articles, or features do not reflect the viewpoints of SN's publishers, but rather those of the respective writers.

To submit your news content, articles, videos, or any other newsworthy material for publication, please email info@streamingnaija.com. For advertising and additional information, you can call 08059379121 or send a WhatsApp Message to 08100770125.