Tinubu urged to probe Tantita Security’s alleged rights violations in N’Delta

A coalition of Civil Society Organisations on Wednesday staged a peaceful protest over alleged human rights violations, torture, and the establishment of an arbitrary and illegal detention center by Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited in the Niger Delta region.

Speaking on behalf of the coalition after the protest at Shoprite, Alausa, Lagos, the Convener, Comrade Abe Emmanuel, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to investigate the allegations with a view to nipping the seeds of such atrocities in the bud.

According to Emmanuel, ever since the current government came on board, it has made its determination to reset Nigeria its cornerstone, with the cardinal principle resting not only on economic reforms and placing the economy on a sound footing but also on the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, and due process.

He said: “From the word ‘go,’ your administration has shown promise of renewed hope. This hope is not centered on economic and infrastructural development alone but also on human capital development, and protection of human rights is an integral part of this development.

“We believe, as a civil society organisation, that for the fortunes of Nigeria to move progressively, the latter part of this defined development must be protected and harnessed.”

He disclosed that the right body has received countless petitions and reports of torture, arbitrary arrest, and detention of innocent citizens in an illegal center, wondering if such a trend of torture is part of the duty and brief of Tantita Security Services, which is solely contracted to protect pipelines.

According to the Convener, Jolomi Abechukwu from Tisin Community was arrested alongside his friend Bade and taken into captivity in Oporoza, where the alleged camp and illegal detention facilities of Tantita Security are located.

He further disclosed that they were arrested on the 2nd of December, 2024, and released in January 2025, adding: “As law-abiding youths of Nigeria, we do not want to believe that the pipeline surveillance contract gives impetus to the security company to arrogate arrest and detention powers reserved only for the security apparatchik of Nigeria.”

Emmanuel noted that the alleged unlawful arrests violate the express provisions of Chapter IV of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as

amended) and the express provisions of the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights.

He said, “We are drawing the attention of the federal government to this anomaly with a call on international organisations to help protect the rights of Nigerian youths spread across Nigeria because if this situation is not investigated and addressed, youths living in the Niger Delta region will continue to suffer the inhumane and unconstitutional treatment meted out by Tantita Security Services Limited.

“Lastly, we do not want to believe that the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration, which is fast building a reputation for due process, is aware of these heinous crimes against humanity.”

He urged the President to look into the allegations with dispatch in order to save innocent citizens from the arbitrariness of Tantita Security Services.