Itsekiri Protest Against Tantita Is a Criminal Cover-Up – We Will Expose, Submit Names of Sponsors, Says Niger Delta Group

Itsekiri Protest Against Tantita Is A Cover for Oil Thieves - We Will Name Their Sponsors and Submit Their Identities to the Authorities - Niger Delta Group 

The attention of the Niger Delta Coalition Youths Against Corruption (NDCYAC) has been drawn to a protest and petition written by a group of individuals claiming to represent Itsekiri interests, demanding the cancellation of the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, led by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.

We wish to state clearly that this protest is a calculated attempt to derail the ongoing fight against oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta. Those behind this protest are not acting in the interest of the Itsekiri ethnic nation or any legitimate community cause. They are known oil bunkerers and operators of illegal refineries, whose criminal activities are currently being uncovered and dismantled by the Nigerian Navy in collaboration with Tantita operatives. This month alone, several illegal refining sites and crude tapping points were exposed in Omadino, Obodo, and other parts of Itsekiri communities, confirming that these same communities being used as the face of the protest are, in fact, epicenters of oil theft.

Their sudden outrage is not rooted in any real grievance or territorial violation, as claimed in their petition to the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. Rather, it is a desperate move to shield their criminal activities from further exposure. The protesters are frustrated that their illegal pipelines are being destroyed, their barges seized, and their stolen wealth cut off. They are now hiding under the banner of ethnicity to launch a media war against a surveillance system that is finally working.

Tantita Security Services has been delivering unprecedented results in protecting oil infrastructure across the Niger Delta. Since the re-award of the surveillance contract, Nigeria has witnessed a significant drop in pipeline vandalism and crude oil theft. Communities previously overrun by illegal refining have seen progress in environmental recovery. The operations of Tantita are not guided by ethnic considerations but by a federal mandate to safeguard Nigeria’s oil economy. All their actions are carried out with the backing and presence of the Nigerian Navy, the NSCDC, the DSS, and other federal agencies. Therefore, attempts to paint Tantita's operations as a threat to Itsekiri ancestral lands are false, misleading, and mischievous.

We have compiled a list of the names of individuals and financiers behind the ongoing protests. These are the same people known to be operating illegal refining sites in the region. Their names, bank accounts, and evidence of sponsorship will be handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the EFCC, the Nigerian Navy, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the NNPCL for immediate investigation and prosecution. We are prepared to make this information public if necessary. The Niger Delta can no longer be held hostage by a few individuals enriching themselves through the destruction of national assets and the environment.

We also find it hypocritical that these protesters, who never raised their voices against the environmental destruction caused by illegal refining, are now crying foul because those operations are being shut down. They never protested the loss of revenue to the Federal Government, the pollution of rivers, or the death of farmlands. But now that they are being stopped from profiting from crime, they suddenly claim to be defenders of community interest. This is nothing but a criminal distraction designed to pressure the Federal Government into pulling out of a fight it is finally winning.

This is not an ethnic battle between Ijaw and Itsekiri. This is a fight between law enforcement and criminal networks. No ethnic group in the Niger Delta is immune from the effects of oil theft. In fact, the entire region has suffered economic decline, poverty, and environmental collapse because of the activities of these same bunkerers. To now accuse Tantita of intimidation and encroachment when they are simply doing their job is to deliberately shield criminals and mislead the public.

We call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Ministry of Defence, and the leadership of the NNPCL not to fall for this blackmail. This protest must be seen for what it is — a last-ditch effort by exposed oil thieves to stay relevant. Rather than consider cancellation, we urge the government to further empower Tantita and expand their operations, especially in troubled areas like Omadino and Obodo, where illegal refining is still active.

Let it be clearly understood that this is our final warning. The Niger Delta Coalition Youths Against Corruption will expose every name behind these sabotage attempts. We will defend the current surveillance structure with everything we have because it is working. We will not allow those who benefitted from the theft of our future to destroy the progress being made.

We stand solidly with Tantita Security Services and all federal agencies working to sanitize the Niger Delta. We call on well-meaning Nigerians to disregard this protest and support the effort to finally end decades of oil theft and environmental injustice. Nigeria must not be dragged backward by criminals now parading as community leaders.