Surveillance Job: How Tompolo Discovered, Shut Down Second Illegal Oil Export Pipeline In Delta

There are new details about how the operatives of Tantita Security Services Limited, run by Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, the leader of the now-defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), busted another illegal pipeline that oil thieves were using to syphon oil to tankers in Delta state.

Oil thieves are accused of reconnecting the Mobil Nigeria Limited-operated pipeline that runs for one kilometre to the shore and another four kilometres to the loading bay at Ogulagha in the state’s Burutu local government area in order to steal crude oil and load it onto ships.

Captain Warredi Enisuo, a Marine Intelligence Consultant for Tantita Security Services Limited, made the revelation yesterday while leading Mr. Buduwara Zakariya, the General Manager of the Gas Development Division, and other officials to inspect the site on behalf of Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director of Nigeria Petroleum Development Company Limited.

He claimed that the 48-inch Trans Forcados export truckline was linked to the illegal pipeline that had just been found a few days earlier.

According to Captain Warredi Enisuo, “the illegal pipeline was connected to another abandoned pipeline located nearby that is owned by Agip Petroleum Company Limited.”

“These organised criminals hooked up to a 48-inch Shell export line. The crude is now ready for export after being cleaned up. It is quite expensive. They tapped into it to siphon the crude.

“But technologically, they were able to connect their own pipe under water and we throttled the line to the point where it was tapped,” he explained.

He claimed that despite the fact that Agip Petroleum Company Limited owned the oil field, which had been idle for a while, the oil thieves decided to export crude oil to a jacket by connecting theirs through a riser out into the jacket, where they export the stolen crude oil.

The illegal pipeline was being tracked with a lot of resources, according to Mr. Kestin Pondi, managing director of Tantita Security Services Limited.

He issued a warning to oil thieves telling them not to enter the territory under the control of Tantita Security Services, noting that the chairman of that company, Chief Government Ekpemupolo, has zero tolerance for the threat of crude oil theft. 

Mr. Buduwara Zakariya, general manager of NNPCL’s gas development division, praised Tantita Security Services and other stakeholders for a job well done.

He said that the Group Managing Director made the decision to send a delegation to the scene in order to reassure Nigerians that NNPCL is taking action to combat the problem of crude oil theft.

“NNPCL has been facing challenges and with stakeholders, it’s time to bring stability to the host communities and they have been trying to secure all oil and gas facilities, especially the ones that have to do with crude evacuation line,” he added.