Human Rights Abuse Allegations Against Private Security Firms in Niger Delta Not Baseless, Says Otaru

Amid growing claims of human rights abuses by private security firms contracted by the federal government to safeguard oil installations in the Niger Delta, Moses Oritsetimeyin Otaru, a lawyer and youth leader from Warri, has condemned attempts to dismiss these allegations as baseless.

In a statement made available to Warri Sentinel, Otaru, a legal practitioner and public analyst, expressed concern over the downplaying of legitimate complaints regarding the conduct of private security firms, particularly Tantitta Security Services, which has been at the centre of the allegations.

Otaru criticised those dismissing such accusations, calling it disheartening that anyone with an interest in national unity and legal processes would disregard genuine concerns over human rights violations. He revealed that he had been involved in two cases involving Tantitta Security Services that displayed signs of human rights abuses.

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“In one case, a nursing mother was forcibly taken from her home in Edo State by Tantitta operatives in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, and handed over to the Nigerian Police in Warri. In another case, petrol station staff were unlawfully detained beyond the statutory period. Are these not clear cases of human rights violations?” he questioned.

He stressed that accusations against Tantitta and other security firms should not be hastily dismissed. “A thorough investigation is needed before any claims are labelled as baseless,” Otaru stated. “The operations of private security firms in these oil facility surveillance contracts, like state agencies, inevitably bring up issues of human rights concerns. The well-being of citizens should be the top priority in such matters.”

Otaru also addressed remarks made by Dr. Martins Ejeuyitsi, who suggested that the human rights violations allegations against Tantitta had ethnic undertones. Otaru expressed surprise at the claim, stating he had expected Dr. Ejeuyitsi, a respected academic, to call for an investigation into the matter rather than inflaming ethnic and political tensions.

“I was taken aback when I saw those statements attributed to my esteemed elder brother and academia. To suggest these allegations of Human right violations against Tantita services are ethnically motivated is a mischaracterisation. Tantitta, like other security firms, employs people from various ethnic backgrounds. There is no ethnic basis to these accusations,” Otaru said. “In fact, there are even reports on social media suggesting Tantitta is currently holding some of its own employees from the same ethnic group. So, where exactly are these baseless accusations coming from?”

Otaru urged for a more measured and investigation-driven response to the allegations, focusing on ensuring that human rights are upheld in the region’s oil security operations.