Nigeria: John Togo's camp raided

Niger Delta militant leader 'General' John Togo's camp in the areas around the Tambou and Obubu creeks in Bayelsa State was raided last week by the Joint Task Force (JTF) team in a battle, said to have lasted for no less than five hours. A number of JTF soldiers, as well as considerable numbers of Togo's militants, are said to have been kill killed during the sustained military onslaught.

Togo himself, however, is said to have escaped, although there are other reports which claim that he died during the raid. He remains on the JTF's most-wanted list and, although some reports claimed that Togo has called for a ceasefire and is ready to surrender, the JTF, through its spokesperson Lt Colonel Timothy Antigha, has stated that it is unaware of any alleged surrender.

Togo , who heads the Niger Delta Liberation Force, is the only prominent militant leader who turned down the 2010 amnesty that was offered by the late president Yar'Adua.

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© 2011 Menas Associates

Chevron stops production in Niger Delta due to sabotaged pipeline

The Niger Delta Liberation Force has claimed responsibility for sabotaging one of Chevron's pipelines, which has let the company to suspend production. The US energy major said it was investigating the damage to its Dibi-Abiteye pipeline, in the Niger Delta, which transports the Escravos oil stream.

A statement released by Chevron said: "The breach is being investigated and we are reviewing our operations." The Niger Delta Liberation Force, led by the mysterious John Togo, said they were responsible for the attack in a statement released on Saturday 18th December.

The group demanded the withdrawal of army forces from the Ayokomor community, where the military recently raided suspected militant camps in pursuit of Togo. The operation resulted in six civilian and eight army officer deaths.

Several local human rights groups have said that the armed forces targeted civilians and burned down homes during an outbreak of violence. But the army has countered the accusation by saying that it followed Togo's supporters when they opened fire.

Speaking about the fires, Nigeria's Army Chief of Staff Onyeabo Ihejirika said that President Goodluck Jonathan has asked the army to rebuild homes that were destroyed in the attack and that the army had every intention to do so.

Sources: UPI, Vanguard, Bloomberg Business Week,


For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigerian army says 14 killed in Niger Delta violence

Nigeria's Army Chief of Staff Onyeabo Ihejirika has spoken out about the recent clashes between Nigeria's armed forces and the militants in the oil rich Niger Delta. Ihejirika said that eight soldiers and six civilians were killed in a recent army raid on militant camps, thought to belong to the militant leader John Togo.

The violence taking place in Warri, has spread to neighbouring communities. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Nigerian Red Cross Society are on hand to provide assistance to those affected by the fighting. ICRC spokesman in Abuja, Robin Waudo, has said that many people displaced by the violence have been left homeless. Waudo pointed out that it is imperative for the Red Cross to have access to those in need further adding, “We continue to have a good ongoing dialogue with the military hierarchy of the joint task force, but we also need to be able to talk to the other side, in order to be able to access places that are out of the reach of the military as well.”

Several local human rights groups have said that the armed forces have targeted civilians and burned down homes during an outbreak of violence in Ayakoromo, nearby Togo's suspected hideaway. But the army has countered the accusation by saying that it followed Togo's followers into Aykaoromo when they opened fire.

"We lost a total of eight soldiers in the cross-fire and we also received reports from those on the ground that six civilians were killed during that operation," said Ihejirika. Speaking about the fires, Ihejirija said that President Goodluck Jonathan had asked the army to rebuild homes that were destroyed in the attack.

In other Niger Delta news, the commanding officer of the Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS), Henry Babalola, has said that there has been a significant drop in illegal oil bunkering in the Delta. He noted that oil bunkering was on the decline compared to two/three years ago, when as much as 200,000barrels of crude were being misplaced on a daily basis.

“As I have always said, we are watchdogs to the oil industry and the national economy. We may not be telling you in detail, this is what we are able to do; but our joy is that from statistics from oil companies like Shell and Chevron, illegal bunkering activities have actually declined,” added Ihejirija.

Sources: Reuters, Vatican Voice, Nigerian Compass

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

Nigeria: NDLF admits to blowing up a major NNPC pipeline

The Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) militant group has claimed responsibility for blowing up a major NNPC pipeline in Delta State. In a statement released by NDLF's spokesperson, Mark Anthony, confirming the attack, the militant group stated that its “soldiers” struck the pipeline near the Batan flow station in Delta State on Sunday 5th December at about 23:30 and that “NDLF took the operation in three war tug boats with three GPMGs and 15 AK-47 rifles”.

The NDLF's attack on NNPC's pipeline - led by John Togo, one of the militant commanders who accepted the Federal Government's amnesty offer to militants in October 2009 - came only a few days after the group and the Joint Task Force (JTF) had clashed in a the village of Ayakoromor, in a clash which is reported to have had several innocent civilian casualties.

For more news and expert analysis about Nigeria, please see Nigeria Focus and Nigeria Politics & Security.

© 2010 Menas Associates