The Spokesperson of the Gbaramatu Kingdom, Chief Godspower Gbenekama, has accused individuals involved in illegal oil bunkering of orchestrating relentless media attacks and smear campaigns against Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited and its chairman, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo.
Speaking to journalists during an interview in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta State, Chief Gbenekama said that the smear campaigns are a direct response to Tantita’s effectiveness in disrupting oil theft and safeguarding Nigeria’s critical oil and gas infrastructure.
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“Tantita is putting food on the table for thousands of Itsekiris, Ijaws, and Urhobos,” Gbenekama stated. “Their operations have not only reduced oil theft significantly but also provided employment and restored dignity to our youths who would otherwise be vulnerable to recruitment by oil thieves and criminals.”
He alleged that before Tantita’s intervention, illegal oil bunkering was a thriving enterprise controlled by powerful individuals who exploited unemployed youths and enriched themselves at the nation’s expense. However, with Tantita’s robust security presence and surveillance capabilities, such illicit activities have become increasingly difficult, resulting in the frustration of those who previously benefited from the system.
“These individuals are angry because Tantita has dismantled their networks. They are the ones funding these coordinated media attacks against Tompolo, hoping to discredit him and undermine the company’s operations,” Gbenekama said.
He reaffirmed the support of the Gbaramatu Kingdom and other ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta for Tantita Security Services, describing the company’s efforts as a patriotic service to the Nigerian state. Gbenekama called on the federal government and security agencies not to be swayed by “the propaganda of oil thieves,” but to instead recognize the tangible progress being made in curbing oil theft and economic sabotage.
Since being contracted by the Nigerian government, Tantita Security Services has been credited with significant recoveries of stolen crude, destruction of illegal refining sites, and the arrest of oil thieves, earning praise from various quarters including top military and government officials.
