Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd., a private security contractor partnering with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Ltd., asserted that its efforts in combating crude oil theft have resulted in daily savings of over $43.2 million for Nigeria.
Capt. Warredi Enisuoh, the Executive Director of Tantita Security, revealed these during the Maritime Reporters Association of Nigeria (MARAN) annual lecture on Wednesday in Lagos, focusing on ‘Maritime Security: Emerging Threats and Actionable Steps.’
Enisuoh highlighted the significant role of private security operators, noting that those involved in crude oil theft went to extreme lengths, including planting Closed-Circuit Television cameras in creeks to monitor their activities.
He described the environmental impact, stating that certain areas may not see grass growth for a century due to crude oil spills caused by these illicit activities.
Discussing the evolution of theft methods, Enisuoh explained how perpetrators shifted from using fire to process crude oil to electricity, and later to phosphoric acid.
He detailed their process of converting crude oil to diesel in drums using acid. He also outlined the shift of these activities from land areas to creeks, where attackers target oil wellheads, connect hoses to their storage, and conduct transactions at night.
He said there were places where grass may not grow for the next 100 years because of crude oil spill caused by these perpetrators.
“In the past, these operators utilised fire to process the crude oil but they realised that security operators have drones and night vision capabilities to see the fire trails.
“So, they moved to electricity. When they realised we discovered their illicit activities with electric, they translated to phosphoric acid.
“They pour the crude oil into several drums and pour phosphoric acid and wait for six hours for the acid to convert the crude to diesel that will be fetched from the top,” he said.
Enisuoh, a former Director of Shipping Development at the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, noted that the perpetrators of crude oil theft moved away from the land areas to the creeks to attack oil well heads.
“They connect hoses from the wellheads into their storage. These transactions usually take place at night, as they go to the wellheads with canoes to fetch crude oil without minding the pollution or possibility of fire outbreak.
“If the pressure isn’t strong enough, they use a reservoir to fetch the oil. Some of these oil connections flow through cassava farms and farm settlements,” he said.
Speaking on the activities of private security operators in Secure Anchorage Area (SAA), Enisuoh wondered why a nation would carve out a portion on water like a land and sell it to somebody.
“With SAA, a vessel is entering the place and you say no you cannot enter here because you did not pay.
“However, the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea declared the right of passage on the waters for vessels? Nigeria is a signatory to that law, so I am sorry if I made mistakes at that time with my conviction about SAA.
“Nonetheless, I still stand by it. I will never ever entertain the situation in my country where people will pay to access the waters,” he said.
While welcoming guests to the event, President of MARAN, Mr Godfrey Bivbere, raised concerns about the increasing crude oil theft affecting Nigeria’s economy. Despite efforts, maritime incidents in the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) continue, with a surge reported in 2023, including armed robberies and piracy targeting anchored vessels.
Former President of Indigenous Shipowners Association of Nigeria, Chief Isaac Jolapamo, lamented the longstanding security challenges on Nigerian waters. He emphasized the need for shipowners’ voices to be heard, addressing the pitiable state of present Nigerian shipowners.
“While MARAN is of the view that the establishment of the Gulf of Guinea (GoG) Maritime Collaboration Forum for the Shared Awareness and Deconfliction had enabled industry partners within the region to connect and interface on the right strategies to raise the bar in tackling these challenges.
“I am constrained to say that the responses are not achieving set targets, effectively and efficiently.
“The International Maritime Bureau report of July 2023 confirmed that the GoG witnessed a surge in maritime incidents in 2023, with five such incidents in the first quarter and nine in the second quarter.
“Out of these, 12 were classified as armed robberies and two as piracy, predominantly targeting anchored vessels within the region,” he said.
Also in his goodwill message, the former President Indigenous Shipowners Association of Nigeria, Mr Isaac Jolapamo, decried the state of security on the waterways.
According to him, there is a lot to be said about security of Nigerian waters before it extends to the Gulf of Guinea and this dates back to over 40 years.
Jolapamo decried the pitiable state of the present Nigerian shipowner, stressing that shipowners should be heard and not seen.
The event was attended by several maritime bigwigs including; the Chairman, Integrated Oil and Gas Limited and former Minister of Interior, Capt. Emmanuel Iheanacho; former President, Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents, Prince Olayiwola Shittu; President General, Maritime Worker’s Union of Nigeria, Comrade Adewale Adeyanju; and President, National Association of Master Mariners, Capt. Tadjudeen.
Others were the President of NISA, Mr Sola Adewunmi; former President of National Association of Government Approved Freight Forwarders, Chief Eugene Nweke and the Editor-in-Chief, Shipping Position Media Group; Mr Sesan Onileimo, among others
