CDS Irabor, Kyari visit 4km illegal trunkline, vow to unmask operators

The Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor and the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kyari, have vowed to unmask the saboteurs behind the illegal four-kilometre pipeline connected from Forcados terminal to the sea to siphon crude oil.

Both Irabor and Kyari made the vow at the weekend during a joint visit to the illegal loading port, which is attached to the Trans Escravos pipeline at Yokre Flow Station in Ogulagha oil field in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State.

Tantita Security Services, operated by the ex-leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND), Chief Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, last week discovered the illegal four-kilometre crude oil pipeline connected from Forcados terminal to the sea and operated for the past nine years.

General Irabor, while speaking with journalists after the visit to the area, said the federal government would ensure an extensive investigation into the revelation by Tantita Security Services owned by Tompolo.

“This is an eye-opener. We are going to ensure an extensive investigation into the whole revelation to get to the roots to review the entire security architecture across the board amongst other issues,” he said.

Kyari, on his part, also pledged that an extensive investigation would be conducted into the illegal trunkline, noting that anyone that is involved would be dealt with according to the law.

He said the pipeline was uncovered during a clampdown on crude oil theft in the past six weeks by Tantita Security Services, vowing that the perpetrators would be identified and sanctioned according to the provisions of the law.

Kyari lamented that oil theft in the country has been going on for over 22 years but noted that the dimension and rate it assumed in recent times is unprecedented.

“That is why the Chief of Defence Staff has said very clearly that an extensive investigation will be conducted.

“Anyone involved in this matter, either from the host community, community contractors, government security agencies, or workers of the oil companies including NNPC and Shell, will be dealt with.

“The illegal attachments on the Trans Escravos pipeline are professionally done and the result is that they connected this to an inactive pipeline which should not carry crude in a normal instance.

“And we have seen that this line flows all the way parallel to the two other active Trans Escravos pipelines. And this is a good revelation,” Kyari added.
The duo noted that preliminary investigations have shown that the illegal pipeline led to an illegal loading point in the creeks where large volumes of crude oil are illegally being diverted and stolen.

Chief Executive of Tantita Security Services, Chief Keston Pondi, who conducted the CDS and NNPC boss around the site, said from observations, the illegal business had been on for a very long time.

“To get to this level is not easy. We were hinted about the two illegal attachments that were foiled. We are still escalating. We are combing this lineup with Ogidigben to Madaho.

“This particular one inspected by the NNPC CEO team is located at Yokre Flow Station. Only God knows how many more points we are going to see as we go further. As of this moment, we have discovered 15 points so far. The identified 15 points were attached to the Trans Escravos pipeline at different locations,” he added.

“It is obvious that a lot of people are complicit in these illegal oil activities. Whether it is in the security sector, host communities, even in the oil industry, if you know that you have been involved and nobody is doing anything about it, this is the time to evacuate,” he said.