Crime
Oil theft: Tompolo uncovers 42 more tapping points in Delta, Bayelsa
OPOROZA— EX-MILITANT leader, Government Ekpemupolo, alias Tompolo, and security officials have uncovered 42 more tapping points by crude oil bunkerers on the nation’s oil pipelines in two states of Delta and Bayelsa, bringing the total to 58, yesterday.
The breakthrough came as bunkerers, angry with the leader of the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, for exposing their unlawful business, in the past few weeks, have reportedly sent threat messages to him and operatives of his security firm, Tantita Security Services Limited, TSSL.
TSSL, last Thursday, seized a vessel suspected to belong to an oil syndicate, which came to load crude oil from an undisclosed location in Delta State.
However, Tompolo, who spoke to reporters, yesterday, at Oporoza, the traditional headquarters of Gbaramatu kingdom, Warri South-West Local Government Area, Delta State, dismissed the threat by the oil bunkerers.
At the time the Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Mele Kyari, visited Delta State, last Friday, Tantita reported the discovery of 16 tapping points on the trans-Forcados pipeline, which NNPCL had clamped. Tompolo said: “As of today (Sunday), we have discovered over 58 tapping points that oil bunkerers have used in stealing crude oil from the nation’s pipelines in Delta and Bayelsa states.”
“In Delta, three major crude pipelines, including the trans-Escravos and Trans- Ramos lines have been tapped by oil bunkerers.
“The tapping points that were traced on Friday were with the help of the security agencies, which was why inside the rain and everything, we could trace the lines.
“We are doing the work together with the security agents; we are only providing intelligence for the security to assist to do the work.
Therefore, everybody, NNPCL, and security agencies are working together in a very good spirit .
“The military has helped us to discover and stop the people from doing illegal activities, so we are going to work together and we do not want to go into details. The stealing had been going on for over eight to nine years,” he said.
On the threat messages to his boys, he said: “As for threat messages, that is normal, even this morning, they sent messages to me, but I think it is something we can handle.”
The ex-militant leader, who sounded optimistic that they would soon curtail illegal oil bunkering, said: “With the way we are going now, we are getting cooperation from all the security agencies, both the ones in the state here and at the top. Therefore, by the grace of God, in no distant time, we will stop this largely.”
No major challenge
He said his company is not facing any major challenge, adding: “At every point in time, we will always provide the intelligence and security people will come and do the work.”
On the barricading of creeks by oil bunkerers with trees, he said: “That is the more reason we are involved, if we see any creek that is blocked with trees, we will bring in motor-saw to cut it and we go inside.
“Where the security people cannot even go, we will first go there and ask them to follow because we cannot do anything without the security people. In addition, with the way all of them are actually cooperating, we will achieve the desired result.
“The communities are not posing a problem, it is the bunkerers that offer resistance but even at that, like what I said before, this is our area, we are doing everything to ensure that we reduce oil bunkering to the barest minimum because the aquatic life in our area is almost gone.
“As for the crude oil that we recover from the creek, we are trying to get a barge where we will pump in the product. Along the line, if any sinks, we will not follow that because the terrain is bad. However, we will do everything within our power to stop further destruction and pollution.
“There is no creek that anybody will pass in the region that I will not understand or the people working with me will not know. For now, we do not have any problem.
“Our major problem is that the aquatic life of the people is gone and we are doing everything together with traditional rulers, security agencies, Department of State Services, DSS, and others to ensure that we reduce it to the barest minimum so that our people can survive.”
Admitting that pipeline surveillance “is stressful,” he said there was no problem with the communities and that he is optimistic that oil bunkerers would yield to his appeal to stop oil bunkering.
His words: “Before this time, I have been discussing with oil bunkerers, whether from Rivers or Bayelsa, all over the place. Even many of them actually understand that oil bunkering is not a good thing for our environment.
“And that is the more reason we think there will not be much problem for us to stop it, but their complaint is that there are no other means of survival.”
On the scarcity of kerosene, he said, “We are going to appeal to Federal Government and NNPCL to see what they can do about the local refinery, but you cannot fight illegality with illegality.”
By Our Correspondent
The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, has deployed the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of Operations, Shehu Nadada, to Imo State to coordinate the search-and-rescue operation for 20 prospective National Youth Service Corps members and other passengers abducted along the Owerri-Onitsha Road.
The victims were reportedly abducted on Thursday, October 1, 2026, around Umunoha in Imo State.
The Force Public Relations Officer, Force Headquarters, CSP Anietie Iniedu, disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday.
According to the statement, Nadada arrived in the state alongside two Commissioners of Police and immediately conducted an on-the-spot assessment of the incident and the ongoing rescue operation.
He also reviewed the operational strategies, deployment of personnel and available assets, while issuing additional directives aimed at strengthening the coordinated response.
The assessment was conducted alongside the Imo State Commissioner of Police, CP Audu Garba Bosso; the Commissioner of Police in charge of Federal Operations, CP Akpan Anifiok; the Commissioner of Police in charge of the Police Mobile Force; other service commanders and members of the management team of the Imo State Police Command.
Iniedu said the search-and-rescue operation had been intensified, with additional tactical teams and operational assets deployed to identified areas.
He added that the operation was being supported by intelligence-led tracking of the abductors and coordinated efforts with other security agencies.
Nadada assured members of the public that the police remained committed to securing the safe release of the abducted persons.
“The Nigeria Police Force is committed to securing the safe rescue of the 20 abducted persons and will sustain the operation until the mission is successfully concluded,” Iniedu quoted Nadada as saying.
The police boss urged members of the public and the media to remain calm and vigilant, while appealing to anyone with credible information that could assist the operation to contact the police or the nearest security formation.
He assured the public that all information received would be treated with strict confidentiality.
The police said further updates would be provided as the rescue operation progresses.
Five men have been arrested and arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Maiduguri, Borno State, after police allegedly found them wearing T-shirts bearing the words “Tinubu Must Go.”
The defendants were identified as Baba Aji Gremami, 44; Mustapha Abba Yemen, 28; Abbacha Mohammed Ali, 32; Adam Umar Gubio, 21; and Abdulhamid Mohammed, 21.
According to a First Information Report issued by the State Criminal Investigation Department, the incident occurred on September 25, 2026, near West End Roundabout in Maiduguri.
Police charged the five men with criminal conspiracy, inciting disturbance, disturbance of public peace and thuggery under Sections 60, 78, 79 and 392 of the Borno State Penal Code.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Court I in Maiduguri.
Their lawyer subsequently applied for bail. The court adjourned the matter until October 6, 2026, to rule on the bail application, while the substantive trial has been scheduled for October 26.
The case has drawn attention because the alleged conduct involved wearing clothing displaying a political message.
Amnesty International criticised the prosecution, describing the arrests as arbitrary and arguing that peaceful political expression is protected by fundamental human rights. The organisation called for the immediate release of the five men and urged authorities to discontinue the case.
Amnesty International also expressed concern that the prosecution could have implications for political expression and opposition activities in Borno State.
The case has generated reactions on social media, with some commentators questioning whether the display of political messages on clothing should constitute a criminal offence.
There have also been allegations that a prominent politician in Borno State may have influenced the arrests. The allegation has not been independently verified.
Efforts to obtain a comment from the Borno State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Kenneth Daso, were reportedly unsuccessful as of the time of filing.
The defendants remain subject to the court process, and the allegations against them have not been established in court.
The Jigawa State Hisbah Board has arrested eight people in Kazaure Local Government Area over alleged homosexual acts, according to the board.
The board’s Public Relations Officer, Dauda Hadejia, disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, September 26, 2026.
Hadejia said the arrests followed a complaint filed by a 22-year-old man, who alleged that nine individuals had engaged in sexual acts with him on different occasions.
According to the statement, the complainant also claimed that he later contracted HIV, which he attributed to the alleged encounters. He reportedly appealed to the Hisbah authorities for justice, describing the alleged conduct as deceptive and harmful to his life.
Following the complaint, Hadejia said Hisbah operatives launched an investigation and began searching for the nine individuals named by the complainant.
“So far, eight suspects have been arrested, while efforts are ongoing to arrest the remaining suspect,” Hadejia said.
He added that the eight arrested individuals reportedly admitted during preliminary investigations to having engaged in sexual acts with the complainant.
Hadejia said the board had gathered information and evidence that would be presented before a court. He added that the investigation remained ongoing and that the suspects would be charged upon its completion.
The Deputy Commander-General of the Jigawa State Hisbah Board, Dr. Hussain Baban, reportedly urged parents to pay closer attention to their children’s upbringing and the people with whom they associate.
He also called on members of the public to be mindful of the consequences of their actions and to uphold religious and moral values.
The board further expressed appreciation to the Jigawa State Government for its support and cooperation in carrying out its responsibilities.
A newly married couple, Funmilayo Bamidele and her husband, Reverend Abiodun David, have been abducted along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, a border route linking Kwara and Kogi states.
The couple were reportedly returning from their engagement ceremony in Eruku on Saturday evening when armed men intercepted their vehicle and abducted them alongside four other passengers.
According to sources, the vehicle was initially expected to take the Isanlu Road. However, the driver reportedly chose an alternative route to drop off the best man and other members of the group at Iyamoye in Kogi State.
The vehicle was subsequently intercepted by armed men along the Iyemero-Eruku Road, leading to the abduction of all the occupants.
A photograph of the newly abducted couple has since emerged following the incident, while details about the whereabouts of the other passengers remain unclear.
Confirming the incident on Sunday, Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, said soldiers had been deployed to search the surrounding bushes and rescue the victims while also pursuing the suspected kidnappers.
Ojo disclosed that the vehicle used by the victims was later found abandoned at a former police station in Ayetoro, Ekiti State.
He added that police operatives from Kwara, Kogi and Ekiti states were working jointly on the rescue operation because the incident occurred around the border communities of the three states.
Authorities have yet to disclose further details on the identities of the suspected abductors or whether any contact has been established with the victims.
At least five miners have been killed and two others injured after gunmen reportedly ambushed them at a mining site in Plateau State.
The incident occurred at about 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 26, in Marit village, Barkin Ladi Local Government Area.
According to community sources, the miners were carrying out their legitimate activities when they came under attack. The incident has plunged the community into mourning and renewed concerns over the safety of residents in the area.
Confirming the attack, the National Publicity Secretary of the Berom Youth Moulders Association, Rwang Tengwong, said five people lost their lives while two others sustained injuries.
“It is a very sad and painful development. Our people are once again mourning the loss of lives to violence,” Tengwong said, while calling on security agencies to intensify efforts to protect communities and prevent similar incidents.
A community member, Simon Mundat, also described the attack as devastating and appealed to the authorities to strengthen security in the area.
“We are deeply saddened by this attack. We appeal to authorities to strengthen security in the area so that our people can go about their legitimate activities without fear,” he said.
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