BY EMMA AMAIZE, REGIONAL EDITOR, SOUTH-SOUTH

Everything about the secondary school dropout, self-confessed ex- armed robber and sea pirate from Ayakoromor community in Burutu local government area of Delta State, John Togo, who the Joint Task Force, JTF, on the Niger-Delta, placed a N10 million prize for anybody that gives useful information on his whereabouts, is surrounded by controversy.

From 2003 when he allegedly joined the arms business under the guise of Niger-Delta struggle, his moral fiber and actions had been questioned by many, but he remained dogged in his claim that he is a freedom fighter.

Accepted amnesty, breached his promise

Sometime in November, last year, he floated a militant group, known as the Niger-Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, after he and other ex-militant leaders accepted amnesty from the Federal Government and promised to be of good behavior.

His grouse was that months after the exercise, he and some other ex-militant leaders were sidelined in terms of recognition and financial incentive from government, and, incensed by the development, he returned to the creeks with fighters loyal to him to restart the battle, calling for a post-amnesty conference by government at which the grievances of aggrieved ex-militants would be discussed.

From the time he formed the NDLF till date Togo has been enmeshed in one storm or the other. It is either he vowed to surrender arms and renounced militancy, or bombed oil pipelines or JTF provoking him by attacking his camp in Ayakoromor in the hunt for him and making life unbearable for residents and those of other riverine communities, or the task force is saying that he does not have a genuine intention to surrender.

In an exclusive interview with Sunday Vanguard in December last year, he was asked, “To a lot of people, John Togo is a criminal, sea pirate, killer, extortionist and an armed robber. So, what are you doing, claiming to be championing a Niger-Delta struggle with NDLF?

He responded: “The John Togo you know today is not the John Togo of yesterday. If today, I have never used my gun to intimidate anybody in the riverine communities, I swear to God and Ijaw deities, let JTF single gunshot strike me death. To answer your question, in 2003, when we came to the arms business and the struggle, it is true that some of the Ijaw boys were controlled by their arms, instead of us to control our arms. And, there were so many bad reports and allegations, all on me.

I was a victim of circumstance as a leader of a group who was fighting to protect Warri Ijaw communities. My enemies set me up at that time. I did not know many allegations were levelled against me. That is why God rescued me from detention. Truly, I carried out only bank robbery to use the money to buy arms and ammunition in 2003 to protect my people”.

Prior to his NDLF saga, Togo was said to be among some suspects rounded up by some ex-militant and youth leaders , some years ago, in Delta State and handed over to the JTF for appropriate action, but curiously, he was remanded in custody and later freed. He relocated to Bayelsa State thereafter only to resurface in Delta after accepting amnesty.

Haunted by controversy

However, for a man who controversy has become a second name, the most recent news about him is that he was feared dead in a gun battle with the JTF. He was said to have been shot and wounded seriously on both legs, on May 12 and reportedly gave up the ghost two days later, May 14. He was reportedly buried at the outskirt of a riverine community in Bomadi local government area.

Responding to an inquiry on the alleged death of Togo, the spokesman of the NDLF, “Captain” Mark Anthony, who had earlier announced the surrender of his boss in a statement, entitled, “End of the last battle: Why we surrendered and abandoned Israel Barracks” said, “Gen John Togo is hale and hearty. He has left for an undisclosed fishing hamlet in a different Niger-Delta coastal state waiting for Mr. President’s announcement”.

End of chapter for NDLF

But in the NDLF’s statement of surrender, last Sunday, which sounded like an epitaph on Togo, the group’s spokesman, “Captain” Anthony stated, “We have fought a good fight. This is dawn of a new day. Nigerian Army will make a great historic diary about NDLF soldiers, led by General John Togo. This war is avoidable war; but criminal injustice by the Nigerian majority ethnic nationalities on the minority ethnic nationalities has turned everybody a casualty of war. And things fall apart. We are aware JTF is still counting their monumental losses, just as NDLF counts its losses in the battle. NDLF gave JTF a great fight. The world has known that the Niger Delta problem is still unresolved, despite federal amnesty”.

He continued, “This is much like a speech of a fallen hero in battle with tears and heavy face. Today, we hereby declare that the Joint Task Force (JTF) has won the final battle in the creek. Though, the war is not over yet in Niger Delta. People of Niger Delta shall win the final war one day against criminal injustice and marginalization over 50 years of forcefully taking our God given blessings of oil and gas wealth from the people to build distant rocky villages in the north to modern cities, leaving the people of Niger Delta in abject poverty and penury.

“The future battle may not be with NDLF or General John Togo with arms and bombs again, except justice and fair play reign in Niger Delta. The historic Niger Delta struggle is a process and in stage by stage. Many have come and played their roles and have left the stage. Today, it is the turn of NDLF, led by General John Togo with the theme “post-amnesty conference” between Federal Government and arms agitators in Niger Delta to address the grey areas of Federal Government amnesty programme”.

JTF rejects surrender

The JTF was swift in vehemently rejecting the NDLF surrender claim, describing it as a decoy. The task force spokesman, Lt. Col. Antigha, said, “Regarding the information being circulated on the internet about the ‘surrender’ of John Togo and his gang, please note that the JTF is unaware of such a development. Surrender cannot be effected on cyberspace or on the pages of newspaper. If John Togo and his co travelers are serious about surrender, they know what to do. Until that is done, any news of surrender is seen as diversionary and a decoy and should be disregarded”.

A dependable source told Sunday Vanguard that that the lieutenants of Togo disbanded the group on May 14 as soon as information filtered out that their leader may be dead, but the JTF’s Antigha stated, “The purported death and secret burial of John Togo are all an intricate web of lies engineered by John Togo and his managers to deceive the public, attract sympathy and escape justice’.

The spokesman added: “The JTF as a professional military outfit cannot fall victim of this elaborate deception plan. Consequently, the JTF warns the media and the public to be mindful of the new tricks used by Togo”.

Togo’s boys go into hiding

A Niger-Delta youth leader who spoke to Sunday Vanguard on the condition of anonymity on Wednesday said, “General” John Togo, suspected to have died of gunshot wounds he sustained in an encounter with soldiers, last week, was reportedly buried in the forest by his boys at the outskirt of a riverine community in Bomadi local government area of Delta State.

He maintained that the militant leader was dead contrary to the claim that he was hale and hearty, saying, “Only the boys who took him to a secret place for burial can identify the place he was buried”.

The source revealed that most of John Togo’s boys, who also sustained gunshot wounds, escaped to Efanna, Ezebiri and Ogodobiri communities for treatment, pointing out that they usually melt into the thin air, once they hear that the JTF had come to any of the communities.

According to him, “I was told that some of the boys have been arrested by soldiers, so they (JTF) should interrogate them to know where they buried John Togo, anybody telling you he is alive is not telling the truth, I challenge them to bring him out to speak to the world if he is still alive”.

He commended the soldiers for the way they were going about the search, “It is not easy but they have been able to cut off the boys with the way they have cordoned Ogodobiri, Ezebiri and Efanna. With more hard work, they will get at the truth because I believe some of the boys know where John Togo was buried”.

Twist to the story

But another twist was added to the Togo controversy, Tuesday, when one Ekpein Appah, said to be an administrator of the amnesty programme at Obubra Training Camp of ex-militants, was reported to have said that the wanted John Togo was in Government House, Yenagoa, as a guest of the Bayelsa State government.

Bayelsa governor, Timpre Sylva, in a reaction on Wednesday, described the allegation that he was sheltering the renegade militant leader as ridiculous.

Sylva, in a statement by his chief press secretary, Mr. Doifie Ola, said, “The attention of the Governor of Bayelsa State, His Excellency Chief Timipre Sylva, has been drawn to an irresponsible report in the Wednesday, 18 May 2011 edition of one national newspaper. In the report, Mr. Ekpein Appah, Obubra camp administrator for the Federal Government’s amnesty programme, accused Governor Sylva of shielding fugitive militant leader, John Togo, in the safe confines of Government House, Yenagoa.

“Sylva has no reason whatsoever to shield John Togo or any wanted person from the law. No. The idea that John Togo is in Government House, Yenagoa, when he is not even from Bayelsa State, is simply laughable”.

Oath of death

Despite the fact that Togo swore by God and Ijaw deities in his last interview with Vanguard that he should be struck dead by JTF gun if he ever used his gun for criminal acts anymore, the JTF alleged that, while the preparations for the 2011 elections were on, he was busy erecting new militant camps from where several sea robberies were carried out. What is still hazy is whether his rumored death by JTF’s gun was as a result of his violating the oath he swore to God and Ijaw deities.

Asked in the course of the interview, “Assuming you are arrested by the task force or probably anything untoward happens to you or this becomes your last battle, what is your message to other youths involved in your kind of business and life?’, he answered.

“My message is that the youths must always stand to defend their God-given land and resources. The killings in Niger Delta are just like the apartheid South African government. No amount of killing stopped the South Africans and, finally, God granted them total freedom”.

On another question, “How did John Togo grow up, where were you born, who are your parents, who trained you and to what extent in school, what odd things have you done to get to where you are in life today, what pushed you into criminality, and what are your escapades in life?”, he responded: “Your questions are not too correct, I am not a criminal. I am a victim of circumstances. For my background, I am simply just like children raised up from a poor humble background. I faced financial problems. I am a secondary school dropout, but, then, I was not too bad in class works. That is little about me, and anything you see around me is the handiwork of God”.