The Nigerian military seems to have gotten a viable lead about the identity of the elusive Niger Delta militants crippling the Nigerian economy by blowing up oil facilities in the south-south region.
Security agents are now on the trail of members of the defunct Niger Delta Liberation Front (NDLF) founded by the late ex-militant leader, John Togo in connection with series of bombings of gas and crude oil pipelines in parts of Delta and Bayelsa States.
THISDAY learnt that the operatives of the Joint Task Force (JTF) and the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS Delta) have linked members of the defunct group to the renewed crisis in the region.
A highly placed security officer said the militants that carried out last Thursday’s bombings of the crude oil pipeline belonging to Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) have been linked to the late Togo.
“The boys that breached crude oil pipeline last Thursday were late John Togo boys. They were sighted at the scene of the blast by soldiers who were on their trail before they fled into the creeks with their high speed boats. At least, they recognised some of them to be John Togo boys,” he said.
The Niger Delta Liberation Front (NDLF), founded by John Togo, was a militant group that had affiliation with the defunct Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta led by Chief Government Ekpemupolo alias “Tompolo.”
The group had then claimed that their main goal was to secede and gain independence from Nigeria. Although, Togo was the NDLF’s most notorious member, he was killed on July 19, 2011 by a Nigerian air strike near Warri in Delta State.
During his reign, Togo was notorious on the waterways in both Bayelsa and Delta States robbing and maiming his victims at will.