A Niger Delta advocacy group has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately cancel the pipeline surveillance contract awarded to Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited. The group, the Niger Delta Centre for Justice and Accountability, made the demand in an open letter addressed to the president.

The contract is currently handled by Tantita, a company owned by former militant leader Government Ekpemupolo. According to the organisation, the current arrangement is flawed and may not serve Nigeria’s long-term security and economic interests.

In the letter signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Efe Justice, the group advised the federal government not to renew or extend the contract. Instead, it recommended a new model that would decentralise pipeline surveillance operations across oil-producing states in the Niger Delta.

The organisation suggested that qualified indigenous contractors from each oil-producing state should be selected through transparent and competitive bidding. It said this approach would promote fairness, strengthen community participation, and reduce tensions among groups in the region.

NDCJA also argued that crude oil theft and illegal bunkering remain serious challenges despite the current system. The group claimed that Nigeria could be losing as much as $15 billion annually due to pipeline vandalism and illegal oil activities.

It further expressed concern about concentrating such a major national security responsibility in a single private company. According to the group, decentralising pipeline protection and strengthening cooperation with federal security agencies could help create a more effective and transparent system.