Pipeline surveillance contract: Unknown gunmen attack Tompolo’s security, receives death threats from oil thieves

Ibrahim Bakare/Port Harcourt.

Desperate oil thieves have been sending death threats to the ex-militant leader, Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo by people suspected to be oil thieves.

However, Tompolo has vowed that no threats will stop his zeal to continue his fight against oil theft. He said there will be no retreat and no surrender. 

Tompolo has vowed to deploy the zeal with which he agitated during the militancy  struggle for the emancipation of the Niger Delta region to combat oil thieves that are sabotaging the economic development of the country.

Tompolo who spoke  through one of his aides, who identified himself as Waterway Crayfish, said those bombarding him and his household with threat messages over the surveillance job he secured from the Federal Government are saboteurs who would continue to have his security outfit to contend with.

Tompolo’s comments came few days after Delta State Governor, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa and the Vice Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, threw his weight behind the feat recorded by his security outfit within a few weeks after the contract was awarded to him.

The ex-militant leader has vowed that there would be not a sacred cow in the discharge of the contract assignment.

He said his primary concerned is about how Nigeria’s crude oil production must perform optimally to achieve  two million barrels per day. He said the discovery of an illegal oil pipeline that was attached to the Forcados oil trunk and the burning of oil bunkering vessel on the region’s high sea, were testimonies of the riot act he read against oil thieves. Catfish said, “Our Tantita Security Services Limited in the Creeks has been getting steady threat messages from suspected oil thieves to stop the illegal business of oil bunkering. No amount of threat and mudslinging would derail us from beaming searchlight on discoveries of illegal pipelines that were attached to the Forcados Terminal into the sea.” 

He added, ”For threat messages, it is normal. Since illegal oil vessels were intercepted some weeks ago, the threat messages assumed a dangerous dimension.

Just yesterday (last week) here, they sent messages to threaten me, but we have remained unperturbed. It is something we can handle. “We are knowledgeable about the operation in the territorial waters of Nigeria and as a former militant, I clearly have the capacity to combat any possible attack from any illegal bunkerer with my men”, he said. 

Tompolo vowed to work day and night and in spirit and truth not to betray the confidence reposed in him and his security outfit by the Federal Government.

Our Correspondent reports that more threats are coming few days that unknown gunmen attacked the personnel of Tantita Security at Aleibiri community, Ekeremor LGA in Bayelsa State.

It was reported that a 200HP speed boat was stolen in the process. The co-ordinator of the attacked unit was able to calm his boys down from  retaliating by attacking the community as they investigate to find the culprits.

Tantita Security was recently awarded over 4 Billion naira monthly contract by the Federal government to secure the pipelines and reduce/stop illegal bunkering and other forms of oil theft.