The Independent Security Experts of Nigeria (ISEN) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately order a comprehensive and independent investigation into the interception of the supertanker Skipper, urging the federal government to bring all individuals and entities linked to the vessel to justice.
In a letter addressed to the president, the security advocacy group demanded the establishment of a high-powered investigative panel with prosecutorial authority to unravel the network behind the vessel, which has been linked to allegations of crude oil theft, piracy and drug trafficking.
The controversy stems from a December 2025 operation by the United States Coast Guard and the United States Navy, which intercepted the Nigerian-linked tanker over suspicions that it was involved in illicit oil shipments and other criminal activities, including alleged connections to Iranian and Islamist money-laundering networks.
The incident drew global attention after it was widely reported on December 12, 2025, exposing what observers describe as a sophisticated international racket operating from Nigerian waters.
The vessel, a 20-year-old Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with IMO number 9304667, was reportedly owned and managed by the Nigeria-based firm Thomarose Global Ventures Ltd while being registered to Triton Navigation Corp.
At the time of interception, the tanker was said to be flying the Guyanese flag illegally. Records from the Corporate Affairs Commission list Thomarose Global Ventures as inactive, with a registered address at 111 Jakpa Road, Effurun, Warri in Delta State and no active contact numbers.
Dean John, lead expert at ISEN, described the situation as a serious case of corporate identity abuse in the group’s letter to the President.
He alleged that company documents belonging to an individual, Thomas Mackistosh, had been exploited to facilitate the international oil theft scheme.
John,in a letter to the president, stated: “The brazen exploitation of an ordinary Nigerian’s company documents for international oil theft cannot be allowed to continue. We demand that the Federal Government set up a high-powered panel with full prosecutorial powers to unravel every layer of this criminal enterprise.
“Thomas Mackistosh handed over his company papers to Tompolo’s group more than four years ago for a legitimate business discussion. He was never contacted again, yet his name and address have now been dragged into a multimillion-dollar scandal. This is modern-day identity theft at the highest level and it must be punished.
“Every individual and entity linked to the ownership, management and loading of the Skipper must be arrested and brought to certain justice. Nigeria’s crude oil belongs to the people, not to a cabal of untouchables.”
According to the letter, Mackistosh had reportedly handed over his company documents more than four years ago to associates linked to Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, during what he believed was a legitimate business engagement.
ISEN said Mackistosh was never contacted again but has since found his name and address connected to what it described as a multi-million-dollar illicit operation.
The group called the development “modern-day identity theft at the highest level,” insisting that all individuals tied to the ownership, management and loading of the Skipper must be arrested and prosecuted.
ISEN also raised concerns about the role of private pipeline surveillance contractors in the oil sector, citing the activities of Maton Engineering and Tantita Security Services.
According to the group, the companies linked to Tompolo and associate Matthew Tonlagha reportedly earned about N2.3 trillion within a year through pipeline protection contracts while Nigeria’s oil output has remained between 1.3 million and 1.4 million barrels per day.
The group warned that failure by the government to act decisively could result in further crude theft, deepen Nigeria’s revenue challenges and diminish public confidence in institutions responsible for safeguarding the country’s oil resources.
