Pipeline vandals deploy CCTV, advanced tactics to evade arrest — Tantita

Pipeline vandals and crude oil thieves in the Niger Delta have adopted advanced surveillance systems and coordinated operations to evade security agencies, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited has said.

Executive Director, Operations and Technical Services, Warrendi Enisuoh, disclosed this on Wednesday at a parliamentary roundtable on pipeline security held at the National Assembly in Abuja.

He said criminal groups now deploy technology to monitor enforcement activity.

He said: “These criminals now install CCTV to monitor the movement of security agents who are on a mission to catch and take them out of their illegal business.

“Despite this, we have been making progress in the mandate of securing our pipelines and ensuring seamless production of crude oil in the country.”

Enisuoh added that the networks have evolved into structured operations with central coordination and access to advanced weapons.

He said: “They are having acquired missile launchers with which they can shoot down any aircraft flying across the area.”

He said the surveillance framework introduced in 2022 has helped stabilise the sector despite these threats.

He said: “If the government had not done anything about pipeline surveillance in August 2022, the country would have been in trouble.”

According to him, the contract covers more than 2,000 kilometres across seven states.

He also described the scale of crude theft before the intervention.

He said: “Before the contract, crude oil theft was like a community effort in the Escravous area where the black gold flew freely without the fear of government or security agents.”

Managing Director of Tantita, Kestin Pondi, said the intervention has reduced sabotage and improved production, putting output at about 1.84 million barrels per day.

Lawmakers at the session described the firm as a critical national asset and called for a long-term renewal of the surveillance contract.

The National Assembly also rejected proposals to decentralise the arrangement among multiple operators.

Experts say crude oil theft in the Niger Delta has evolved into a coordinated illicit industry, with operators deploying surveillance systems, encrypted communication and structured command centres to sustain operations.

The development highlights an ongoing shift toward more sophisticated methods by criminal networks, even as authorities intensify efforts to curb losses and secure oil infrastructure.