An oil vessel transporting suspected stolen crude oil was apprehended on Wednesday by officials of the Tanita Security Services in Delta State.
The vessel, MT Praisel, which was being escorted by a Nigerian Navy boat led by a commander, was intercepted by the private security firm in the Koko area of Delta State.
Despite the Nigerian Navy boat’s opposition, “Tantita operatives stood their ground with the backing of the national security adviser (NSA) and the chief of naval staff (CNS) and have taken the suspicious vessel into custody,” a source said.
Tantita agents were on a normal patrol when they saw the ship. The ship was reported to have a Togolese flag, but the operatives knew it was transporting stolen crude oil.
The Tantita operatives were met with resistance from the Navy boat when they attempted to board the ship. Cdr. Musa promised to take strong action against the Tantita operatives, but they resisted.
The NSA and CNS were ultimately contacted, and they authorized Tantita personnel to take the ship into custody.
When contacted, Nigerian Navy spokeswoman Commodore Adedotun Ayo-Vaughan stated that a statement on the matter would be issued shortly.
