Security Operatives of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, in collaboration with Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), on Tuesday set ablaze an intercepted 800,000 litre capacity vessel carrying stolen crude oil in the Escravos area of Delta State. The vessel was set ablaze by a military helicopter.
The vessel, MT TURA II (IMO Number:6620462) with Registration Number, RC 813311, owned by Holab Maritime Services Limited was set ablaze at exactly 1.09 pm at a creek close to Bennett Island in Warri South West Local government area of the state.
Allegedly owned by a Nigeran registered company, the vessel was said to be heading to Cameroun with the cargo when it was apprehended at an offshore location (Latitude: 5.8197194477543235°, Longitude: 4.789002723991871°), with the captain and crew members on board last Saturday.
The destruction of the vessels follows the planned action of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the authorities involved in the investigation to make the consequences an example of what happens to saboteurs who intend to steal from the country.
A Nigerian Airforce fighter jet was deployed to give effect to the burning of the vessel, in an attempt to blow it up but failed due to the strong metals used in building the vessel in 1965.
The fighter jet, which arrived at about 3.49 pm fired several shots targeting the vessel but failed to decimate it and had to return to base.
However, Tantita Security and the military resorted to setting the vessel ablaze manually.
According to the Executive Director of Operations and Technical at Tantita Security, Captain Warred Enisuoh and the Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Delta Safe, Rear Admiral Olusegun Ferreira, the oil cargo was illegally sourced from a well-jacketed offshore in Ondo State with no valid documentation at the time of the arrest.
“You are all aware of the arrest of MT Tura II, last Friday along the border area of Delta and ondo state on the sea. And the good thing about this is that, we were able to get an express approval by the authorities to have this vessel destroyed and that is what we are here to do today”.
“This destruction would not only serve as a deterrent to those engaged to carrying out these criminal acts on our waterways but also send warning signals to their sponsors and international partners to desist from the illicit oil trade, as it is no longer business as usual,” he stated.
The discovery was the latest in the series of disturbing findings by the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a security outfit owned by High Chief Government Oweizide Ekpemepulo aka Tompolo and contracted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Top hierarchy of the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) as well as officials of the Delta State Government were on ground during the burning of the vessel. 
