A vessel, MT Praisel carrying crude oil suspected to have been stolen has been intercepted in the Koko area of Delta State by the Tanita Security Services.
On Wednesday, MT Praisel was intercepted while being escorted by a few naval officials and carrying 1, 117 tons vessels carrying about 8,100 barrels of crude oil.
Government Ekpemupolo, often known as Tompolo, is the owner of the private security firm Tanita Security Outfit. Tompolo is a former Niger Delta agitator who recently received a contract from the Federal Government to guard oil pipelines.
Tanita Security personnel claimed the ship was flying a Togolese flag and was being escorted by a Navy boat commanded by a senior naval officer.
The naval captain allegedly promised to deal with the Tanita operatives decisively if they failed to yield, but the private operatives said they encountered resistance from the navy boat escorting the ship.
They claim that after speaking with Nuhu Ribadu, the national security adviser, and Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla, the chief of naval staff, they were given permission to inspect the ship.
The security firm claimed that upon entering the ship, it discovered that although the navy had given the vessel permission to transport goods, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority had not given it any licenses.
“The incident followed the Federal Government’s outrage that the illegal trading of stolen crude oil caused Nigeria to suffer huge economic losses totaling N2.3 trillion in a single year.”
Afeezoladiti (
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