By Jimitota Onoyume

A security expert, Mr. Demeide Master Tony, has commended Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited (TSSNL) for its remarkable success in combating oil theft in the Niger Delta region.

In a statement made available to journalists, Demeide described Tantita’s impact since 2022 as “highly effective,” noting that the company has helped reduce oil theft by nearly 80% and contributed to the recovery of crude oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day.

“Tantita’s effectiveness is explained through criminological theories validated globally,” he said.

He warned against any attempt to terminate the surveillance contract awarded to the private security firm, describing such a move as potentially disastrous for Nigeria’s economy and security.

“Nigeria’s fiscal recovery, energy security, and political stability are critically dependent on the Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited contract,” Demeide stated. “Terminating this contract would dismantle deterrence, destabilize communities, and plunge Nigeria into economic and political crisis. Tantita must not only be retained but institutionalized as the backbone of Nigeria’s energy security.”

The expert highlighted several achievements of Tantita, including the creation of over 10,000 jobs for local youths, significant reduction in oil spills, and various corporate social responsibility initiatives such as sustainable rice farming, construction of classrooms, provision of scholarships, healthcare outreach, and mangrove replanting.

He further argued that Tantita operates a successful hybrid security model that combines technology-driven surveillance, grassroots intelligence, and inter-agency collaboration with the Nigerian Navy, Police, and other security agencies.

Demeide urged the Federal Government to institutionalize Tantita’s role by transforming it into a permanent Niger Delta Pipeline Security framework rather than allowing the contract to lapse.

“Retention is not optional, it is a strategic necessity,” he concluded. “Tantita has proven beyond doubt that local guardianship works. For Nigeria’s economy to thrive, the guardian must remain at the gate — not temporarily, but permanently.”

The comments come amid ongoing discussions about the future of private security arrangements in the protection of critical oil and gas infrastructure in the Niger Delta.