Personnel of the 181 Battalion of the Nigerian Army, Oleh in Isoko South Local Government Area of Delta State, in joint operation with operatives of TANTITA Security Services Nigeria Limited, have arrested a vacuum truck laden with stolen crude oil at Well-head (3) in Olomoro Community. Also arrested is the driver of the Vacvacuumuck, Matthew Ojomikre.
The suspect and the truck were arrested on Monday after he illegally stole crude oil from well four(3) in Olomoro Community. The Wellhead (3) is under OML 30 an,d it’s owned by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited.
The suspect is cooling his heels in the custody of the Nigerian Army 181 Barracksere he is detained.
It was learnt that the suspect went to the well-head with the Vacvacuumuck purportedly owned by one Engr. Daniel Omoyibo po, popularly known as DAMOTECH, without the permission, approval and license from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, to illegally load crude oil.
It was at the point of his leaving the crime scene that he was accosted by the soldiers, who eventually informed operatives of TANTITA Security Services of his activities. He was promptly arrested.
When interrogated, the suspect confessed that his company was contracted by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited to help evacuate sludge from well 3, Olomoro,, but without any formal approvals or documents to show that such activity was to be carried out as it used to be.
It was learnt that Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited used to send Crude and condensate trucking permits to officers of the Nigerian Army and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd for proper monitoring from the loading point to that of discharge.
At the time of filing this report, Officers of Tantita Security Services, in collaboration with the Herthe Itage team and the Nigerian, have collected samples from the vacuum truck for laboratory testing and analysis.
However, the confessional statement from the truck drivers shows that he went illegally to collect crude from Well 3, Olomoro, in the guise of helping to evacuate sludge from the wellheads.
It was also gathered that the owners of the vacuum truck who have been allegedly involved in the unauthorised evacuation of crude within the Isoko axis are trying to play games to influence the release of the driver and save him from prosecution, as well as prevent his truck from being set ablaze or investigated.
At the moment, stakeholders are calling on the Department of State Security, D SS and Special Intelligence and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, to investigate the activities of the company, which owns a vacuum truck.
They said before the driver of the Vaccum truck is supposed to go to the well head, he should have possessed a NUPa RC licence for foracuation, notified the Military and TANTITA Security Services Nigeria Limited for proper supervision by Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited.
The stakeholders stressed that, “He ritage Energy Operational Services Limited ought to have copied the military and TANTITA, but only the driver went to the well head, loaded the crude and left. It was on his way out, the military accosted him and called TANTITA.”
According to the stakeholders, “They asked him about his license and military escort, he said he had none.”
Meanwhile, the Security Manager of Heritage Energy Operational Services Limited, Lt. Col. Goldman Azagba Rtd, said he was not aware that the movement Vaccum truck driver to the well head and his illegal bunkering activities at the site with the vehicle.
