A company’s facilities was being used for operations that were not authorized, according to intelligence that was acquired two weeks ago.
In Warri, Delta State, the military has seized a barge that was illegally bunkered with more than 600 barrels of crude oil in collaboration with a security firm called Tantita Security Services.
In order to secure crude oil assets in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) hired the company as a security consultant.
The barge, which was purportedly used to transport the crude oil to the jetty, was taken 20 miles off the coast of Warri, but the military insisted on destroying the vessel on Saturday.
The military blew up the barge, causing massive clouds of black smoke to fill the air, despite concerns from journalists on the environmental effects of doing so.
The company connected the illicit activity to Mawe Services Limited, a business that had its services restricted to lifting sludge by the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).
According to information that Tantita Security and Mason Engineering obtained two weeks ago, the facility was being utilized for operations that were not authorized, according to a report by Channels Television.
Further information indicated that a 1,000 metric-ton barge was berthing near its jetty, loaded with illegal crude oil reported as sludge, according to Captain Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director, Operations and Technical, Tantita Security.
An unidentified tugboat was claimed to have hauled the barge into Mawe Services Limited’s jetty before leaving. The security company’s agents reportedly kept an eye on the jetty for any unusual activity.
Enisuoh reported that a sewage truck with the license plate JR7750XA was seen driving by the jetty twice. According to reports, the operatives who were keeping a close eye on the region approached the vehicle during its third visit on Friday.
Authorities claim that upon inspection, the liquid discovered inside the tank was not sewage but crude oil. After being detained, the driver was turned over to government security personnel.
According to the ED of the company, the driver then disclosed the items’ final destination, leading the security team to another Mawe Services Limited yard inland.
He continued by describing two metallic cylindrical tanks with a capacity of roughly 45,000 liters each that were located on the Mawe Services Limited property.
It was claimed that both tanks had been examined, and it had been discovered that one had been filled with crude oil. It was apparently confirmed by the truck’s driver that he had been transferring the barge’s cargo into the tank as it was being filled.
The vehicle visited the place often, and the word “crude oil” was clearly written on the truck, according to the company, which claimed to have checked the yard security record.
Enisuoh asserts that the collaboration between the outfit and security organizations has significantly decreased the unlawful tapping of crude oil at the pipelines.
He claimed that crude oil thieves now manipulate well heads in order to obtain the substance.
