Oil Theft: Tantita, NSCDC, Army Arrest Another Vessel In Ondo

In a joint onslaught, operatives of the Tantita Security Services Limited, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested a massive vessel in the coastal waters Ondo State.

Credible security sources, who produced video evidence, said the suspected vessel was sighted off the coast of Ondo State when it was loading crude from a well head.

One of the sources said their investigation revealed that a combined team of soldiers, men of the NSDC and Tantita operatives accosted the vessel which allegedly had naval personnel on board.

He said the naval personnel refused a request by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) that the vessel be moved to its jetty at Oporoza for a joint inspection.

The naval operatives on the vessel resisted the request and insisted that the Nigerian Navy arrested the vessel and was escorting it to one of its bases.

The source said the naval operatives had been shooting all day thereby causing yet another stand off between Tantita, the army and the navy.

The source said that Tantita operatives who are enforcing the pipeline protection contract with the NNPC and the federal government became worried when the naval personnel insisted that the vessel should not be taken for joint inspection.

Video evidence provided by the sources, which was made available to LEADERSHIP last night revealed that the naval operatives fired barrage of repeated shots to ward off the Tantita operatives and soldiers from accessing the vessel.