The Niger Delta Concerned Stakeholders for Accountable Security and Progress have dismissed rumors that surveillance drones used by Tantita Security Services are intended to fuel ethnic strife. A spokesperson for the group, Enisuo Oruomoni, emphasized that these aerial tools serve exclusively to combat oil theft and infrastructure damage.
Oruomoni addressed recent allegations from critics by highlighting that illegal bunkering operations have shifted strategies because the drones successfully monitor their activities across the creeks. He clarified that the federal government authorized the use of this technology, ensuring that operational data and flight paths remain accessible to national security agencies at all times.
According to the stakeholders, the equipment identifies illegal vessels based on criminal activity rather than ethnic affiliation. They pointed out that the surveillance program has generated over 20,000 jobs for local youth across diverse ethnic groups, including Ijaw, Itsekiri, Urhobo, and Isoko communities. They further rejected demands to cease surveillance, comparing the situation to disabling security cameras while criminal activity is being recorded in real time.
