Following to the astonishing discovering of 4Km illegal crude oil siphoning Trans- Excravos crude oil transporting pipeline by Tantita Security Company own by Government Ekpemupolo popularly known as Tom Polo, the Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Bala Wunti, said works are ongoing to recover missing crude oil barrels.
Mr Wunti who declared this assertions in his recent Twitter post after he, alongside the NNPC Limited Group Chief Executive, Mele Kyari, recently visited the Trans Escravos Pipeline which connects to the illegal four-kilometer pipeline discovered in Delta State.
The discovery of the illegal crude oil transporting pipeline was followed by the massive vessel intercepted by Tantita Security Services Limited loaded with illegal crude oil at Escravos river in Delta on October 7, 2022.
The crude oil tanker christened MT Deinmo with International Maritime Organization ( IMO ) number 72130526 which was believed to have sailed from Lagos opted offering huge sum of money as a bribe to the head of Tantita Security Company that led the operations which he turned down the offer as reported by a local news source GbaramatuVoice.
Mr. Wunti in commending these gallant and patriotic displace of the Tom Polo staff vowed that the missing crude oil barrels will be brought back.The illegally trans-escravos crude oil pipeline is said to has been in operation for the past nine years unnoticed.
The Nigerian government had also disclosed that $1 billion was lost to oil theft between January to March, with the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPC Limited, Umar Ajiya, stating $150 million is lost daily.
Commenting on the illegal four-kilometer pipeline, Wunti said, “Working to bring back the missing and lost barrels!” He added that, “The situation at the illegal connection site is unimaginable.”
He further stated that Kyari plans not to leave any stone unturned in “ending the menace of oil theft and bring back full production numbers for the benefit of all Nigerians and our partners – Indeed, the Industry-wide security collaboration is working!”
Kyari on his part, “Visited the illegal connection point on the Trans Escravos Pipeline looped onto the 4km Afremo test line with Gen Irabor and others. The visit by Mr Wunti and the GCEO of NNPC Mr Kyari and other Nigerian top security personnel to the site where 4km illegal crude oil pipeline was plugged into the Trans-Escravos was led by Tantita Security head of Engr. Kestin Pondi.
