From Joseph Obukata, Warri
The discovery and shut down of a second illegal export pipeline by agents of Tantita Security Services Limited, belonging to Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias Tompolo, former leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), has been hailed as a success by the Group Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
Tompolo men had over the weekend busted the illegal pipeline that oil thieves were using to siphon oil to tankers in Delta state from an abandoned facility linked to a 48-inch Trans Forcados export trunkline.
Mr Buduwara Zakariya, general manager of NNPCL’s gas development division, who inspected the discovery pipeline, commended 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.
Oil thieves had reconnected the Mobil Nigeria Limited-run pipeline, which extends for one kilometre to the shore and another four kilometres to the loading area 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, disclosed this 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 trunkline was linked to the illegal pipeline that had just been found a few days earlier.
“The illegal pipeline was connected to another abandoned pipeline located nearby that is owned by Agip Petroleum Company Limited,” Captain Warredi Enisuo said.
“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 underwater and we throttled the line to the point where it was tapped,” he explained.
He asserted that oil thieves chose to export crude oil to a jacket by connecting theirs through a riser out into the jacket, where they export the stolen crude oil, despite the fact that Agip Petroleum Company Limited owned the oil field, which had been idle for some time.
According to Mr Kestin Pondi, managing director of Tantita Security Services Limited, the illegal pipeline was being monitored with a lot of resources.
He warned oil thieves not to enter the area under Tantita Security Services’ control, noting that Chief Government Ekpemupolo, the company’s chairman, has zero tolerance for the threat of crude oil theft.