Four suspected oil thieves have been arrested in Delta State by Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL) and handed over to the Inter-Agency Task Force in a renewed crackdown on crude oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.
The suspects were detained following the interception of the vessel MT Thor and are under investigation for alleged involvement in illegal crude oil dealings. The handover took place at Koko Port, Delta State, with TSSNL, a federal pipeline surveillance contractor, formally transferring the suspects and the vessel to authorities.
Captain Warredi Enisouh, TSSNL’s Executive Director of Operations, said the suspects were caught aboard MT Thor with petroleum products believed to have been illegally sourced. The vessel was intercepted on December 15, 2025, along the Kokpo–Excravos axis, according to a situation report from CSP Omar Sini, Head of Investigation, Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft.
The report revealed that MT Thor was allegedly escorted by Delta State Police Marine Unit personnel, who claimed to be acting under directives from the Force Intelligence Department, Abuja. Investigations linked the vessel to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited, with documents and correspondence from the facility currently under review.
On December 16, CSP Sini and Captain Enisouh led a joint inspection at Koko, meeting with the jetty owner and obtaining samples from other storage containers suspected of carrying illicit crude. MT Thor berthed later that evening, with sampling and further procedures continuing the following day alongside officials from the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission.
CSP Sini reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to dismantling crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta, promising that the investigation’s outcome would guide subsequent legal actions. He noted that operations began in March 2025 when Nigeria’s crude oil output was around 1.4 million barrels per day, with enforcement efforts helping to raise production to approximately 1.8 million barrels per day.
