Four suspected oil thieves have been arrested in Delta State by Tantita Security Services Limited (TSSNL) and handed over to the Inter-Agency Task Force as part of intensified efforts to curb crude oil theft and economic sabotage in the Niger Delta.

The suspects were apprehended following the interception of a vessel, MT Thor, and are currently under investigation over alleged involvement in illegal crude oil dealings.

The arrests were formally announced during the handover of the suspects and the vessel at Koko Port, Delta State, by TSSNL, one of the security firms engaged by the Federal Government to provide pipeline surveillance and protection services.

Speaking at the handover, Tantita’s Executive Director of Operations, Captain Warredi Enisouh, said the suspects were arrested aboard MT Thor with an unspecified quantity of petroleum products believed to have been illegally sourced.

A situation report issued by the Head of Investigation, Special Prosecution Team of the Inter-Agency Task Force on Petroleum Product Theft, CSP Omar Sini, disclosed that the vessel was intercepted on December 15, 2025, along the Kokpo–Excravos axis of Delta State.

According to the report, Tantita alerted the task force after intercepting the vessel, which was allegedly laden with crude oil obtained through illicit means.

Investigators further alleged that MT Thor was being escorted by personnel of the Police Marine Unit, Delta State, who reportedly claimed they were acting on directives from the Force Intelligence Department, Abuja.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the vessel, now classified as an exhibit in an ongoing criminal investigation, is linked to a jetty operated by Ebenco Global Services Limited.

Authorities said documents and correspondence relating to the jetty had been obtained and were currently under review.

The owner and promoter of the jetty was contacted by investigators and reportedly submitted additional documents, including court orders, which are also being analysed as part of the investigation.

Providing further details, CSP Sini said that on December 16, 2025, a joint investigation team led by himself and Captain Enisouh conducted a joint inspection visit in Koko.

According to him, the team first met at Tantita’s corporate headquarters in Warri for a briefing attended by the jetty owner, before proceeding to Koko to obtain samples from MT Thor.

However, the vessel had not arrived at the jetty, having been towed from an earlier location by security operatives.

While awaiting its arrival, the joint team inspected other containers suspected to be carrying crude oil within the premises of Ebenco Global Links Limited, where samples were taken from a storage barge.

MT Thor eventually berthed at about 8:30 p.m. on December 16, prompting the suspension of sampling and related procedures until the following day.

On December 17, 2025, investigators returned to the jetty in the company of officials of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, who obtained samples of the petroleum product for laboratory analysis and other investigative formalities.

CSP Sini reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to dismantling crude oil theft networks in the Niger Delta, assuring that the outcome of the investigation would determine the next line of action in accordance with the law.

He noted that the Inter-Agency Task Force commenced operations in March at a time when Nigeria’s crude oil production stood at about 1.4 million barrels per day, adding that sustained enforcement efforts have helped increase output to approximately 1.8 million barrels per day.