The oil pipelines surveillance contracts in the Niger Delta have been reorganized and awarded to different stakeholders.
The overbearing influence of Tantita Security Services has been whittled down for strategic reasons in a bid to pacify a few former agitators.
Security sources revealed that with the new development, Tantita security operated by High Chief Government Ekpemupolo also known as Tompolo will now provide surveillance services over oil installations within Delta State axis and no longer in the three states of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers.
The federal government, after reorganization of the contracts, has accommodated new ex-agitators to man installations in their domains.
It was revealed that the decision to decentralise the contract was based on the agitation by key stakeholders within the region.
And this informed the meeting of key foremost militant leaders in Port Harcourt Rivers state at the weekend.
The new arrangement has however accommodated three persons for Bayelsa State – Mr. David Lyon, Mr. Ebikabowei Victor Ben, Boyloaf and Mr. Endurance Amagbein while King Ateke Tom and Alhaji Asari Dokubo, were given the surveillance job for Rivers state.
In the new arrangement, Mr. Great Joshua MacIver, who was Tompolo’s Tantita co-ordinator in Bayelsa State has lost out as he was not considered to manage any cluster.
Sources confirmed that Tantita will no longer operate in Bayelsa State and that Tompolo is not likely to hand the management of the Delta State cluster to Maciver.
Some stakeholders, however, commended the decision of the Federal Government on the exclusion of the embattled Bayelsa Governorship candidate of APC, Joshua MacIver, who they accused of using the Tantita security for political gains.
“Bayelsa youth should no longer be deceived or hoodwinked of any jumbo pay for them to support his political ambition. Imagine that he was forcing every worker of Tantita in Bayelsa to either declare for APC or resign. Just see how God solved the problem”, our source stated.
