By IN a chilling revelation, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh, Executive Director (Technical Operations) of Tantita Security Services Limited, has exposed a sophisticated network of crude oil theft involving foreign actors from Niger Republic, unmarked tankers, and maritime deception at Nigeria’s expense.
Speaking at the commissioning of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Warri Correspondents’ Chapel secretariat — fully constructed and furnished by Tantita Security — Capt. Enisuoh gave a no-holds-barred account of how oil thieves once operated with impunity before Tantita’s intervention.
The state-of-the-art Press Centre edifice
“They drive tankers from Niger Republic, change number plates at intervals to beat surveillance, and directly siphon crude oil from wellheads using illegal connections. It’s a vast network,” Enisuoh revealed during his lecture, ‘Fight Against Oil Theft: The Impact of Private Security and the Role of the Media’.
According to him, foreign vessels anchor just outside Lagos waters, awaiting illegal bunkered crude from the Niger Delta to mix with imported diesel, turning 10,000 tonnes into 70,000 tonnes with falsified documents — a scam that once drove diesel prices down to ₦250 per litre.
In a startling admission, he said some vaults had been inserted into pipelines and were rented out for ₦6 million. “You pay, and you’re told where to fetch oil like it’s water,” he noted.
But perhaps the most profound impact has been environmental. “The soot over Port Harcourt has cleared. Illegal refineries have been shut down. Waters are cleaner. Fishes are returning,” Enisuoh proudly declared, attributing the turnaround to Tantita’s efforts.
The figures are telling. Crude production reportedly rose from 750,000 barrels per day to over 1.7 million barrels per day since Tantita took over surveillance operations. This feat, he said, was possible due to strategic partnerships, especially with the media.
“This is why we brought NUJ into the story. Securing pipelines is one part; telling the truth is the other,” he told the audience.
Delta State Governor Rt. Hon. Sheriff Oborevwori, represented by DESOPADEC’s Executive Director (Projects), Dr Ebenezar Okorodudu, praised the NUJ Chapel project, describing Tantita as a corporate body with “clear purpose and societal responsibility”.
Journalists and dignitaries — including NUJ National President Alhassan Yahyah, Hon. Donald Ojogor of the House of Representatives, and monarchs like the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom — paid glowing tributes to Tompolo and Tantita’s leadership.
Chairman of the Warri Correspondents’ Chapel, Comrade Victor Okpomor, declared the new secretariat a dream come true after 30 years of rent struggles. “This is not just a building; it is a monument to resilience and partnership,” he said.
As Nigeria continues its fight against economic sabotage and environmental degradation, the Tantita model offers a blueprint: community-led intelligence, private-sector resolve, and journalistic accountability.
And in the words of the Ovie of Idjerhe Kingdom, HRM King Obukohwo Whiskey, “If you don’t protect the good things you have, others will take them away from you.”
Indeed, the battle to protect Nigeria’s oil has entered a new chapter — and Stonix News will be here to tell it.
By Stonix News Editorial Team
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