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Group says opposition to Tantita may be pushback from oil theft networks.
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Calls on FG, security agencies to probe campaign seeking cancellation of contract.
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Warns Nigeria risks renewed crude oil theft and environmental destruction if system is dismantled.
Concerned Elders of the Niger Delta have urged the Federal Government to investigate what they described as a coordinated campaign against Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited.
They warned that attempts to cancel the firm’s pipeline surveillance contract could reverse recent gains in the fight against crude oil theft.
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In an open letter addressed to the Federal Government, the Concerned Elders of Niger Delta said the growing calls for the termination of Tantita’s operations may be driven by individuals who previously benefited from illegal bunkering and crude diversion in the region.
The letter, signed by the group’s President, Chief Tiemopere Joshua, and Secretary, Chief Oghenero T. Marvellous, argued that Nigeria’s oil sector had suffered years of massive losses due to pipeline vandalism, illegal tapping and organised crude oil theft.
According to the group, the engagement of Tantita to protect oil infrastructure in the Niger Delta has led to the discovery of illegal tapping points, disruption of crude theft networks and a gradual recovery in national oil production.
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“For many years, Nigeria’s oil sector was bleeding as pipelines were vandalised openly and illegal bunkering camps flourished in the creeks,” the elders said.
They maintained that recent criticisms of the security firm should not be taken at face value, stressing that those who benefited from the previous disorder may now be attempting to dismantle a system that disrupted their operations.
The group warned that scrapping the surveillance arrangement could expose Nigeria to renewed crude oil theft, revenue losses and environmental damage across the Niger Delta.
“If that happens, Nigeria will once again lose billions of dollars in revenue while oil installations become targets of sabotage and communities suffer further environmental destruction,” the letter stated.
The elders therefore called on the Federal Government, the National Security Adviser and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited to thoroughly investigate the campaign against the security firm to determine whether it represents genuine policy concerns or the interests of criminal networks.
They stressed that the fight against oil theft and economic sabotage must not be undermined, adding that Nigeria’s economic stability and environmental protection depend on sustaining the progress made in safeguarding the nation’s oil infrastructure.
