Militant leader, “General” John Togo, yesterday handed over arms and ammunition in his possession to the military coordinator of the amnesty programme in Delta State, Lt-Commander Yahaya Chindo, saying those were all the arms he had.
Togo, who operates in the border area between Bayelsa and Delta States until 2005, when his attack and subsequent killing of some security operatives led to the sack of his community, Ogodobiri, in Delta State, yesterday declared: “This is all I have, I have given it all”.
Four submachine guns (SMG), one general purpose machine gun (GPMG), six AK-47 rifles, two G3 rifles, one navy rifle, two pump action guns, three FN rifles, and one Mark-4 gun were among the weapons laid down by the repentant militant. Other arms and ammunition surrendered by the ‘born-again’ militants yesterday were 16 AK-47 magazines, 5 FN magazines, four tins of ammo, 30 dynamite explosives, among others. About 94 “foot soldiers” of Togo’s group were still holed up in the creeks and were not part of the exercise yesterday but he promised to bring them in few days since he has the assurance that the Federal Government’s amnesty programme would caretaker for them.
The exercise took place yesterday at Ogodobiri, home of former Police Affairs Minister, Aleowei Broadrick Bozimo in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State. Togo, who was earlier arrested by the JTF after he reportedly attack the Chairman of Western Zone of the Ijaw National Congress, Chief Samson Mamamu, at his Salvation City community, Ogbe-Ijoh, however expressed delight over the amnesty offered him by President Umaru Yar’ Adua adding that he was accepting the amnesty to save his people and give the federal government the benefit of doubt to unveil its blueprint for the Niger Delta region.
He said that he would not go back to the creeks again for militia activities but circumstances may force him to do so if the Federal Government fails to development his impoverished community and attend to the issues of the Niger Delta region after the amnesty programme.
Sep272009