•Big standoff as naval personnel on board resist arrest, launch gun battle

Operatives of the Tantita Security Services Limited, the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have arrested a massive vessel in the coastal waters of Ondo State.

Authoritative sources stated with video evidence that the suspected vessel was sighted off the coast of Ondo State while loading crude from a well head.

Investigations revealed that a combined team of soldiers, men of the NSDC and Tantita operatives accosted the vessel which had naval personnel on board.

It was gathered that the naval personnel refused a request by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Limited) that the vessel be moved to the NNPC jetty at Oporoza for a joint inspection.

However, a source stated that naval operatives on the vessel resisted the request, insisting that the Navy was the one which arrested the vessel and was escorting it to one of its bases.

The source said that the naval operatives “have been shooting all day”, thereby causing yet another stand-off between Tantita, the Army and Navy.

The source said that the Tantita operatives who are enforcing the pipeline protection contract with NNPC Limited on behalf of the Federal Government became worried when the naval personel insisted that the vessel should not be taken for joint inspection.

Video evidence revealed that the naval operatives fired a barrage of repeated shots to ward off the Tantita operatives and soldiers from accessing the vessel.

As at the time of this report, there was mounting anxiety that the vessel might disappear without trace in the dead of night.

Update news