NNPCL nab 6 suspected crude oil thieves, destroy barge
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Ltd, says it has intercepted an illegal Crude Oil Barge and arrested six suspected crude thieves in Warri, Delta State.
Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a private security contractor, engaged by the NNPC Ltd. made the arrests.
Speaking, Warredi Enisuoh, executive director, Operations and Technical of the Security firm said MAWE Services had an approval from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, NMDPRA, to provide services within the confines of lifting sludge.
“Both tanks were inspected and one was found to be filled up with Crude Oil,”.
He said the driver of the Truck confirmed that he had been transferring the contents of the barge into the tank that was filled.
He said that inspection of the Yard Security Logbook showed that the Truck visited the location severally while the contents of the Truck were well spelt out as “CRUDE OIL”.
He explained that the perpetrators usually loaded the crude from the big barge in small gallons, batch by batch then transfer to illegal refineries.
“One new method they use now is that they obtain documentation and authorisation from the government to fool security agencies, then go on to do other illegal jobs,” the captain said.
The captain further explained that most times when the suspects were being arrested, they would claim to be newly employed by their companies whereas they were already trained to operate in that line.
“At the same time I feel sad because the big players always hide behind them while the small errand boys are literally the victims.
“I believe the law enforcement agents will get to the root of the matter,” he said.
He said that part of the crude had been evacuated while the rest would go through combustion process.
Meanwhile, the suspects who were paraded by the combined security team, said they were not aware of any illegal badge of crude oil but were sent by their companies to evacuate waste water with oil from the barge.
Daniel Dickson, one of the suspects working with First Priority Research Resources International Ltd, the owner of the barge said the barge was hired through Petralon 54, located at Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to cargo crude from Port Harcourt to Warri in 2022.
Mr Dickson, who said that it was not all the compartments in the barge that contained crude said that it had about 700 barrels of crude oil but in the process of evacuation in May 2023, the security agents caught them.
NAN
