Tantita Security Services Accuses Oil Firms Of Buying Diesel From Illegal Refineries
Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited has accused Oil companies operating in Nigeria of patronizing illegal refineries in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking as a panellist at the session titled, “Exploring Nigerian Content Solutions to Meet Energy Demand,” the Executive Director, Operations and Technical, Tantita Security Services, Capt. Warredi Enisuoh said many of the diesel produced by illegal refineries in the Niger Delta are purchased by the oil companies.
He claimed that the illegal refineries get patronage from not just smugglers, but also from oil companies.
According to Enisuoh, the clampdown of these refineries by Tantita and other security agencies was the reason diesel prices had been on the increase.
He insisted that if not for the interventions of security agencies such as his firm, the production of diesel illegally would continue to increase.
He said, “Why is there no scarcity of diesel while there is scarcity of PMS (Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol)? The story is simple, most of the diesel you buy is produced by the communities.
“About 90 per cent of the diesel in the fuel stations is produced by the communities. It will also interest you to know that even the oil companies patronise the local communities. Don’t let anybody deceive you, they (oil companies) also patronise the local communities.
“The reason why the price of diesel is high today is because of the works of private security companies like my company Tantita Security Services.
“This is because we have been able to somehow cut down on a lot of the businesses of the illegal refineries. This is why you see the cost of diesel going up,” he stated.
Tantita is a security company focusing on the oil and gas sector, and offers security solutions specifically designed for oil and gas assets. The firm currently offers security services to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.
According to the NNPCL, at least 400,000 barrels of crude oil are lost daily, translating to a loss of $34.8m daily.
With the security partnership between NNPC and Tantita Security Services, over 22 million litres of stolen crude have been recovered through intelligence provided by the NNPC Control and Data Centre.
Similarly, over 30 million litres of Diesel, 0.15 million litres of Premium Motor Spirit, and 0.76 million litres of kerosene have also been recovered from criminals.
Through the operation, many suspects have been arrested while vehicles, speed boats, wooden boats, trucks have been seized and destroyed.
Other items recovered are metal tanks, ovens, dugout pits, reservoirs and cooking pots have been destroyed.
