Authorities of the Nigerian Navy and Tantita Security Services Limited, a private firm owned by Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, on Tuesday locked horns over growing oil theft in the Niger Delta.

While Tompolo’s company accused the Navy of undermining efforts to combat crude oil theft, the maritime force described Tantita’s allegations as false, arguing that it had recorded many successes in recent times.

Speaking when he visited the leadership of the Nigerian Bar Association headed by its president, Mazi Afam Isigwe (SAN), at Gbaramatu Kingdom in Warri, Tompolo specifically said there was deep sabotage coming from the Navy.

According to him, the confrontation between Tantita Security Services Limited and the Navy has complicated their operations in securing Nigeria’s oil pipelines across major areas in the Niger Delta.

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Describing their confrontation as a major hindrance in protecting the pipelines, Tompolo said anytime they arrested oil thieves, the “big men” would quickly come to their aid and rescue using lawyers.

“Just a few days ago, our team intercepted a vessel in Port Harcourt, and the Navy opened fire on Tantita Security while we were accompanied by the police, DSS, and Civil Defence,” he said.

Tompolo called on the NBA president and his team to support the private firm by holding his members (lawyers) accountable and dissuading them from defending any oil thief arrested.

But in a swift reaction, the spokesman of the Nigerian Navy, Commodore Aiwuyor Adams-Aliu, said they would not join issues with Tantita, insisting that all that he said was “false”, hence the reason the Navy is succeeding in the fight against oil thieves.

“My response is that whatever Tantita Security must have said is false and I have sent the Nigerian Navy operational successes out there,” he said.

Adams-Aliu added in the operational successes he sent to Daily Trust, “In October 2024, Nigerian Navy Units under the auspices of Operation DELTA SANITY destroyed several illegal refining sites and recovered significant quantities of stolen crude oil from criminals in the Niger Delta.