Victor EzejaIndigenous oil firm, Aiteo Eastern Exploration and Production Company (AEEPCO), has revoked its contracts with surveillance security providers following cases of security breaches around its facilities.
In a statement released on Monday, AEEPCO’s Group Managing Director, Mr. Victor Okoronkwo, said terminating the contracts became necessary after series of security breaches. He said the company found out that the entities that were supposed to secure their facilities were involved in undermining it.
According to the company, there were cases of gross negligence and exposure of its assets and business by the security service providers to vandalisation and theft.
The indigenous oil company therefore informed the public and all the relevant regulatory authorities in the oil and gas industry, law enforcement and security agencies about the contract termination.
The security contractors were identified as Mr. Clement Amunaboye (doing business as Amotoi Global Services Ltd.); Obiene M. Obiene (also referred to as “Organiser”); Thomas Livingstone; and Christopher Ezekiel Enu.
The company said: “The management advises all relationships/transactions with them, whether jointly or severally, purportedly on our behalf, cease forthwith.
“Any further involvement with these entities or individuals ostensibly pertaining to our company is hereby disclaimed.
“For years, our company and its stakeholders have borne the worst impact of the consequences of crude theft.
“Facilities vandalisation, crude trafficking culminating not only in substantial financial losses but causing severe disruption to our operations.
“Despite the painful price we have had to pay, it is particularly galling to discover that we have been undermined by the entities or individuals who are supposed to secure our facilities and output.
“This speaks to the depth of the decay and the severity of the problem facing producers like us and calls for a heightened, urgent and comprehensive escalation and implementation of corrective measures.”
AEEPCO, operator of the NNPCL joint venture on OML 29, recently recorded a case of spill from its oil facility in Nembe, Bayelsa State. The incident led to temporary shutdown of oil production.
The reopening followed a joint investigative visit to the spill site by all stakeholders, including regulatory authorities like the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), the company had said in a statement.
Okoronkwo said a comprehensive assessment of its operations and assets on the oilfield had been conducted, adding that it was resolved that they would resume production while continuing other statutory spill management protocols concurrently.
Victor Ezeja is a passionate journalist with six years of experience writing on economy, politics and energy. He holds a Masters degree in Mass Communication.
