Pipeline vandals and crude oil thieves in the Niger Delta are using CCTV cameras and armed command posts to evade government surveillance, security officials told the National Assembly on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Captain Warrendi Enisuoh, Executive Director of Operations and Technical Services at Tantita Security Service, said criminal gangs now monitor pipelines and security movements with CCTV and have set up command centres.
Some have also acquired missile launchers capable of targeting aircraft on patrol.
Enisuoh noted that the federal government’s August 2022 award of a surveillance contract to Tantita, covering more than 2,000 kilometres of pipelines across seven states, was key to curbing theft. Before the contract, oil theft in areas like Escravos was rampant and largely unchecked.
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Kestin Ebomorbowei, Managing Director of Tantita, said the program has reduced pipeline attacks and increased production, which has risen to about 1.84 million barrels per day as of April 2026, up from roughly 900,000 barrels per day in 2022.
The National Assembly’s Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources dismissed three petitions against the contract and issued a vote of confidence in Tantita, security forces, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Henry Okojie, Chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Resources (Midstream), highlighted Tantita’s achievements, while Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere, Chairman of the Downstream Committee, said the petitions lacked credible evidence and noted petitioners failed to appear, including at the April 8 roundtable.
Lawmakers described Tantita as a critical national asset, credited it with reducing sabotage and boosting oil output, and urged long-term renewal of the surveillance contract.
Proposals to decentralize or split the arrangement among multiple operators were rejected.