The Operatives of Tantita Security Services Limited, TSSL, owned by ex-militant leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, have ambushed and arrested eight members of a suspected crude oil syndicate while they were pumping crude oil from a Chevron Nigeria Limited, CNL, pipeline in Delta State, into an improvised 87-metre long ocean-going vessel, MT Deino.

At the time Tantita operatives and Nigerian security officials swooped on the captain of the vessel, Captain Temple Manasseh, from Bayelsa State and seven other suspects, they had pumped 605 cubic metres of crude oil into the vessel with 12 compartments from an illegal connection attached to a CNL crude pipeline, between Abiteye community and Escravos in Warri South Local Government Area.

The vessel bore an International Maritime Organisation, IMO, number, 7210526, at the time it was apprehended in the Escravos River.

Sources said the vessel, arrested for oil bunkering in September 2021, but released, probably after greasing some palms, had been frequenting Niger Delta and illegally loading crude oil from Nigeria to Ghana for many years.

Reject N25m bribe from oil cabal to free ship 

Globalvoice learnt that the owners of the vessel have not come out openly, but they offered to give an official of Tantita a kickback of N25 million in dollars to release the vessel, which he rejected.

The eight suspects, including the captain, have been handed over to the Joint Task Force, JTF, in Niger Delta and are cooling their heels at the 3 Battalion, Nigerian Army, Effurun, near Warri.