By Tope Kolawole
The Independent Security Experts of Nigeria (ISEN) has written to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, calling for the Federal Government to immediately launch a thorough, independent investigation into the interception of the supertanker Skipper, demanding that all owners, operators and their enablers be brought to justice without delay.
In December 2025, the United States Coast Guard and Navy intercepted the Nigerian-linked vessel on suspicions of crude oil theft, piracy and drug trafficking, with disturbing ties to Iranian and Islamist money-laundering networks.
The story was widely reported on 12 December 2025, exposing what many now describe as a sophisticated international racket operating from Nigerian waters.
The 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC), IMO Number 9304667, was reportedly owned and managed by Nigeria-based Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd while registered to Triton Navigation Corp of the Marshall Islands.
At the time of arrest the tanker was illegally flying the Guyanese flag, and Corporate Affairs Commission records show Thomarose as inactive with its address listed at 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Warri, Delta State, under registration number 1007876 and with no functional phone numbers.
Dean John, Lead Expert of the Independent Security Experts of Nigeria, said in a letter to the President:
“The brazen exploitation of an ordinary Nigerian’s company documents for international oil theft cannot be allowed to continue.
“We demand that the Federal Government set up a high-powered panel with full prosecutorial powers to unravel every layer of this criminal enterprise.
“Thomas Mackistosh handed over his company papers to Tompolo’s group more than four years ago for a legitimate business discussion.
“He was never contacted again, yet his name and address have now been dragged into a multimillion-dollar scandal.
“This is modern-day identity theft at the highest level and it must be punished.
“Every individual and entity linked to the ownership, management and loading of the Skipper must be arrested and brought to certain justice.
“Nigeria’s crude oil belongs to the people, not to a cabal of untouchables.”
The letter further stated:
“The same actors who claim to protect our pipelines have turned the entire offshore sector into a free-for-all for thieves.
“Matthew Tonlagha and Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), through Maton Engineering and Tantita Security Services, reportedly pocketed 2.3 trillion naira in a single year while production refuses to rise above 1.3 to 1.4 million barrels per day.
“Nigerians must rise today and demand accountability. Tompolo has been directly linked to this scandal and can no longer be shielded. The time for half-measures and sacred cows is over.”
The group warned that failure to act decisively would only encourage more brazen theft, deepen the national revenue crisis and further erode public trust in institutions meant to safeguard the country’s most vital economic asset.
