The political rift in the Niger Delta regarding Tantita Security Services (owned by former militant leader Tompolo) has intensified following a “Vote of Confidence” passed by the National Assembly in early April 2026. This move has sparked a sharp backlash from the United Niger Delta Congress (UNDC) and other regional coalitions.
The UNDC, led by President Julius Malam-Obi, issued a statement on April 14, 2026, condemning the legislature’s endorsement. Their primary grievances include:
They argue the National Assembly is overstepping its constitutional role (lawmaking and oversight) by essentially acting as a “marketer” for a private firm.
The group cites Section 257 of the Petroleum
Industry Act (PIA), which emphasizes that host communities should be the primary stakeholders in protecting oil assets. They argue that awarding multi-billion naira contracts to a few private entities excludes these local communities.
With the contract valued at over ₦2.1 trillion, the UNDC claims that concentrating such wealth in the hands of a few individuals creates a “monopolistic” structure that fuels resentment among other ethnic nationalities in the region.
​Lawmakers, particularly the Joint Committees on Petroleum Resources, defend their support for Tantita based on “measurable results.”
The legislature notes that since Tantita was engaged in 2022, Nigeria’s oil production has risen from approximately 900,000 barrels per day (bpd) to over 1.8 million bpd as of April 2026.
Chairman Ikenga Ugochinyere stated that over 300 lawmakers reviewed various petitions against the firm but found “no credible evidence” of wrongdoing or inefficiency.
Supporters argue the contract has turned former “agitators” into legitimate security personnel, providing jobs for thousands of youths.
​The battle has also moved to the courts. On April 14, 2026, a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court dismissed an interim application to halt the renewal of Tantita’s contract. The judge, Justice Bello Kawu, ruled that:
Halting the contract could create a “security vacuum” that would plunge the nation into an economic crisis. Pipeline security is a matter of “overriding public interest” that outweighs the immediate complaints of the petitioners.
The UNDC is currently calling for a decentralized surveillance framework where each ethnic nation in the Niger Delta manages its own territory, rather than having a single entity oversee vast stretches of the region’s pipelines.
