Soldiers, Tantita operatives intercept suspected stolen crude oil-laden truck in Delta
Personnel of the 181 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Oleh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, in a joint operation with operatives of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, on Monday, intercepted a vacuum truck laden with suspected stolen crude oil and its driver at Olomoro Community.
The driver of the truck, identified as Matthew Ojomikre, is in custody of the Army.
The suspect and the truck were arrested after stealing crude oil from wellhead 3, under oil mining lease (OML) 30, operated by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited (HEOSL).
It was gathered that the suspect went to the well-head without the permission, approval and license from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), to illegally load crude oil.
The suspect was accosted just when he was about to leave the scene by soldiers, who further informed Tantita operatives, leading to his eventual arrest.
When interrogated, the suspect confessed that his company was contracted by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited to help evacuate sludge from well 3, Olomoro, but he failed to present any formal approval or document to show that such activity was to take place.
Findings revealed that HEOSL usually sends crude oil and condensate trucking permits to officers of the Nigerian Army and TSSNL for proper monitoring from the loading to the discharge point.
At the time of filing this report, officers of Tantita Security Services, in collaboration with the Heritage team and the Nigerian Army, had collected samples from the vacuum truck for laboratory testing and analysis.
The development has caused concerns among stakeholders, with calls on relevant security agencies including the Department of State Services to investigate the matter.
Meanwhile, the Security Manager of Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, Lt. Col. Goldman Azagba (Rtd), said he was unaware of the driver’s business at the wellhead.
