By Tope Kolawole
A civil society organisation (CSO), Creek to Creek Movement, has vehemently disowned a fraudulent statement issued in its name that shamelessly praised Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited as the sole pipeline protection contractor in the Niger Delta.
In a statement signed by its spokesman, Comrade Enohor Francis, the group said it had reported the impostors to the Nigeria Police Force for criminal impersonation, forgery and outright fraud, describing the fake document as a desperate attempt by Tantita’s paid agents to cover up monumental failure.
Dedicated to genuine environmental justice, sustainability and due process, the organisation said it has from day one maintained that the Tantita contract is a national disgrace that must be reviewed and terminated immediately because oil theft has not only persisted but exploded under the company’s criminal watch.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must terminate this scandalous Tantita contract now or risk being seen as protecting looters of our commonwealth; this monopoly has turned the Niger Delta into a free-for-all criminal enterprise,” Francis said.
“Tantita has fallen short in the worst possible way – over N2.5 trillion has been lost to oil theft since this contract began, with daily crude oil theft still averaging 180,000 barrels; it is time to stop rewarding these saboteurs who are actively undermining our security forces and bleeding the nation dry.
“We reject this dangerous monopoly and demand full decentralization of pipeline security to involve the military, community groups and multiple competent firms instead of enriching one failed entity at the expense of Nigeria’s survival.”
Francis lambasted Tantita as “a monumental disaster and an enemy within” that has achieved nothing except collecting billions while oil theft, pipeline vandalism and environmental devastation have skyrocketed.
According to him, pipeline breaches increased by 62% under Tantita, over 700 major spillages have occurred in the last 18 months alone, destroying farmlands and fishing grounds of more than 450 communities, while the company continues to pocket huge sums without any accountability.
“Our independent investigations confirm there has been near zero reduction in oil theft; instead, vandalism rose from 312 incidents in 2023 to over 500 last year, with pollution levels up by 68%, leaving farmers and fishermen in total ruin while Tantita laughs all the way to the bank.
“Tantita and its backers are the real saboteurs enriching themselves with blood money; we will no longer allow this company to sabotage national security, kill our environment and reward criminality at the expense of genuine peace and development.
“Those who forged our name are charlatans and enemies of Nigeria; their days are numbered as we have handed all evidence to the police for swift prosecution while we insist this contract must die now.”
Creek to Creek Movement further said that Tantita’s monopoly has created a dangerous security vacuum, deliberately sidelining the Nigerian Navy and other armed forces while communities continue to suffer unprecedented hardship.
Comrade Francis called on President Tinubu to immediately revoke the contract, decentralize surveillance and hand it over to proven patriotic stakeholders instead of one entity that has turned protection into a lucrative criminal franchise.
The group, however, warned that failure to terminate this deal will plunge the region into deeper crisis, scare away genuine investors and destroy whatever is left of Nigeria’s oil economy.
