Ogodobiri villagers flee homes as JTF hunts John Togo

By Emman Amaize
WARRI- THE people of Ogodobiri community in Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State have fled the community seeking refuge in the forest and nearby communities following the manhunt for dreaded ex-militant leader, John Togo, suspected to be dead, by the Joint Task Force, JTF, on the Niger-Delta.

Ogodobiri, the maternal country home of Togo, who is an indigene of Ayakoromor in Burutu Local Government Area of the state, was razed in 2004 by the task force in their search for the militant leader.

In 2010, when Togo came up with the Niger-Delta Liberation Force, NDLF, the JTF, also traced him to Ogodobiri, but did not find him.

This time around, after NDLF fighters fought and wounded JTF soldiers who were on routine patrol, the task force, which maintained it was not aware of the news of the purported death of the militant leader has swooped on the community in search of Togo and his associates.

Some indigenes of the community who called Vanguard claimed that the task force was about to raze the town because of Togo, but the community chairman, Mr. Terry Youdowei said in an interview, Wednesday, “It is true that my people have all fled the community because of the fear that the task force will kill people but the truth is that they are not harassing anybody as I speak to you now”.

“They said they are looking for John Togo and all those associated with him, that is what I was told and they come into the community in different batches in the day and leave in the night. It is not only Ogodobiri, they are also in neighbouring communities like Ezebiri”, he said.

The community chairman said the task force had not invited the leadership of the town for any meeting since they came in searching for John Togo, adding, ‘We are ready to cooperate with them but they should assure us that they are not here to harm us because that is why the people have fled the community”.

“Once there is a guarantee of safety, the people will return”, he added. But a human rights activist, Pastor Felix Okpe who spoke to Vanguard on the matter said, “We are appealing to the President to tell the JTF to leave Ogodobiri community with immediate effect because there is no crisis in the community or in Bomadi local government. Why curfew on us? John Togo  did not use the community as hideout”.

“It is just a fake rumour, JTF should leave the land for peace to return back. For now, majority of children, women and men and aged are still in the forest for the fear of harassment by soldiers. JTF has problem with John Togo in Burutu local government area, why coming to impose curfew on inhabitants in Bomadi local government area”, he said.

The councilor representing Ogodobiri in the Bomadi council legislature, Hon. Dibofa in an interview with Vanguard called on the task force not to burn down the property of the indigenes of the community under the guise of looking for John Togo, saying, “We will sue the task force if they burn down our homes and property because we are not criminals and we have no hands in what John Togo had done”.