A coalition of Itsekiri stakeholders in the Niger Delta on Wednesday took to the streets of Warri, Delta State, in a peaceful demonstration to oppose proposals advocating the decentralisation of pipeline surveillance contracts.
Carrying placards, the protesters cautioned the Federal Government against conceding to such demands, warning that breaking up the current structure could create security vulnerabilities.
According to them, “any attempt to resort to fragmented control of pipeline security would be counterproductive for the nation, as it may fall into the wrong hands.”
The group expressed strong support for the existing arrangement, noting that Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited have been delivering effectively in safeguarding critical oil infrastructure.
“As far as the issue of pipeline security is concerned, the duo of Pipeline Infrastructure Nigeria Limited and Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited are presently doing a good job,” the group stated.
They further argued that distributing surveillance responsibilities among multiple community groups would weaken coordination and accountability, while increasing risks to national assets.
“Disaggregating surveillance responsibilities across multiple community groups would complicate coordination, dilute accountability, and potentially expose critical infrastructure to greater risk,” they said.
Addressing journalists during the protest, spokesmen for the coalition emphasised that pipeline protection is a specialised duty, not a community entitlement, as outlined in the Petroleum Industry Act.
“Based on the Petroleum Industry Act, pipeline surveillance is not treated as a distributable community benefit, but as a specialised security function requiring professional competence, operational discipline and unified command,” they said.
Prominent voices at the protest, including Mone Oris, Itse Omajugho, and Bobby Omadeli—who lead the Itsekiri Liberation Group, Hostcom Itsekiri Chapter, and Itsekiri Grassroots Coalition respectively—also appealed to those agitating for decentralisation to reconsider their stance.
They urged such groups to “give peace a chance and desist from what could cause commotion in the Niger Delta region.”
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Reaffirming their position, the coalition said the current system has yielded positive results, including increased oil output and stronger cooperation between host communities and surveillance operators.
“We are okay with the present system that has boosted production. The community leadership are presently in synergy with the surveillance companies.
We appeal to the Federal Government to keep up with the present arrangement that is working,” they said.
In a joint statement, the group restated its opposition, declaring, “We stoutly reject decentralising the pipeline surveillance contract.”
They added that “the Petroleum Industry Act 2021 establishes a carefully balanced framework for securing Nigeria’s oil infrastructure, built on three interlocking pillars: commercial viability, host community integration, and national security.”
The coalition maintained that effective pipeline surveillance requires structured coordination and technical expertise beyond informal arrangements, stressing that “surveillance, by its nature, demands technical capacity, coordination, and accountability standards that extend beyond informal or fragmented community-based arrangements.”
They concluded by underscoring the need for collaboration t engagement must operate alongside, not in place of, professionally managed security systems,” and warning that efforts to divide control “do not strengthen pipeline protection; they undermine the very coordination such protection requires.”