“Tompolo’s Fear, John Togo’s Return and Okah’s Fallout: Gbaboyor Reopens the Darkest Chapter of the Niger Delta Struggle”

By Passman Akpos

The history of the Niger Delta struggle remains one of the most complicated chapters in Nigeria’s contemporary history, involving militancy, oil, state security operations, competing interests and ultimately a peace process that produced the Presidential Amnesty Programme.

In Part 2 of his account, Eng. Jude Gbaboyor provides his version of several events involving former militant commander General Boyloaf, John Togo, Tompolo, Henry Okah and other actors in the Niger Delta struggle.

Gbaboyor’s account contains serious allegations about armed confrontations, oil installations, military operations and assassination plots. The claims are presented here as allegations and recollections contained in his narrative and should not be treated as independently verified facts unless supported by additional evidence.

John Togo’s Arrest and Release

According to Gbaboyor, John Togo found himself in serious trouble after being accused of sea piracy and other offences and being pursued by Nigerian security forces.

He claimed that Togo, fearing for his life, sought protection from Asari Dokubo alongside two other men.

Gbaboyor said some people from Delta State wanted Togo handed over but that Dokubo instead surrendered the three men to the police so they could face the legal process.

The account then turns to Boyloaf.

According to Gbaboyor, members of a Delta militant group approached Boyloaf and appealed to him to assist three Ijaw men who had spent years in detention.

The three men were identified as John Togo, Peter Doulobiowei and Julius Mabeke.

Gbaboyor said Boyloaf provided financial assistance toward securing their release because he believed that an Ijaw man should not be abandoned.

Within months, he said, the three men regained their freedom.

Togo subsequently travelled to Bayelsa to meet Boyloaf.

According to the account, after learning about Boyloaf’s activities and understanding his interpretation of the Niger Delta struggle, Togo decided to join the movement.

Tompolo’s Fears and the Camp 5 Reconciliation

Gbaboyor said Togo’s release created concern in some quarters, particularly around Tompolo, who allegedly feared that Togo’s return could alter the balance of power among militant groups.

According to the narrative, Tompolo contacted Boyloaf and questioned why he had helped Togo regain his freedom.

Boyloaf reportedly denied that Togo had been released to attack Tompolo.

To eliminate suspicion, Gbaboyor said Boyloaf took Togo, Doulobiowei and Mabeke to meet Tompolo at Camp 5.

The meeting reportedly resulted in reconciliation between the men.

Gbaboyor further claimed that Boyloaf asked both sides to swear an oath that they would not attack each other.

Following the reconciliation, Togo and his associates allegedly became part of Boyloaf’s operations and participated in attacks including operations around the Bakassi Peninsula and Bonga oil field.

The EA Field: When the Struggle Turned Into an Oil War

One of the most dramatic claims in Gbaboyor’s account concerns the EA oil field.

He alleged that Boyloaf took control of an EA Field terminal that had been shut down by Shell and transformed it into a crude-oil loading point.

According to the narrative, vessels were brought in to load crude and proceeds were allegedly used to support fighters and procure weapons and ammunition.

The development reportedly attracted the attention of the Nigerian government.

Gbaboyor claimed that the Nigerian Navy subsequently deployed vessels to the area to stop the alleged crude-loading operation.

According to his account, Boyloaf’s fighters received advance information about the naval movement and deployed boats to intercept the vessels.

An armed confrontation allegedly followed.

Gbaboyor claimed that Boyloaf’s fighters overpowered the naval personnel, seized weapons and ammunition and took some personnel hostage before towing a naval security boat back to their base.

He said the following day, the Commanding Officer of the Warri Naval Base contacted Boyloaf and appealed for the release of the personnel and vessel.

According to the account, Boyloaf agreed to release them without demanding payment but retained the seized weapons and ammunition.

Gbaboyor further alleged that another government attempt was later made using a helicopter to shut down the terminal.

He claimed that Boyloaf’s men again mobilised and that the helicopter withdrew from the area.

The account describes the episode as a major turning point because control over an oil facility became directly connected to the financing and continuation of armed resistance.

The Battle Around Farah Camp

Gbaboyor also recounted events surrounding a military operation against a militant camp associated with Farah Dagogo in Rivers State during the administration of Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

According to him, several prominent individuals contacted Boyloaf and appealed for assistance because of fears that military action against Farah’s camp could spread to other militant groups.

He said the late Senator Brigidi and Chief Edwin Clark were among those who reached out, while Tompolo was also allegedly concerned about the possible consequences.

Boyloaf initially approached Ateke Tom about participating in the operation but later changed the plan.

Gbaboyor claimed that fighters from Rivers and other areas were mobilised and moved toward the affected area.

He alleged that heavy fighting subsequently occurred around Kola and Soku, with militant fighters engaging Nigerian security forces before withdrawing.

Ateke Tom later reportedly joined the confrontation after learning about the operation.

According to Gbaboyor, his fighters subsequently attacked the Orubiri Flow Station and other facilities.

The account claims that the intensity of the fighting eventually forced military forces to retreat.

Gbaboyor said a subsequent security report allegedly concluded that fighters from a neighbouring state had entered Rivers State and joined the militants.

The Failed Operation to Free Henry Okah

Another major episode in the account involves Henry Okah.

Following attacks on oil installations and Okah’s arrest in Angola, Gbaboyor said Boyloaf prepared an operation to break him out of detention.

According to the narrative, Okah was being held at an Army facility in Bauchi.

Gbaboyor alleged that a group of eight experienced fighters was sent to Bauchi, led by John Togo, Peter Doulobiowei, Julius Mabeke and the late Asi.

A bulldozer was reportedly expected to be used to break through the military perimeter.

But the operation collapsed when Okah’s brother allegedly became afraid and failed to provide the bulldozer.

Gbaboyor said the man’s telephone was switched off and the fighters withdrew from Bauchi that night.

The failed operation, according to the account, became one of the final major confrontations before negotiations between the Federal Government and militant leaders intensified.

The Beginning of the Amnesty Negotiations

Gbaboyor said the Federal Government subsequently approached Boyloaf through the Department of State Services as part of efforts to end violence in the Niger Delta.

According to him, the government offered development initiatives, skills training, empowerment and reintegration for former militants.

But Boyloaf allegedly made one major demand: Henry Okah had to be released.

Gbaboyor said Okah’s release was regarded as central to the negotiations because of his connection to the Bonga Field attacks.

While discussions continued, another crisis allegedly erupted around Tompolo.

Tompolo’s Camp Under Military Pressure

Gbaboyor alleged that Tompolo’s men killed a military officer after the officer discovered an illegal crude-oil barge near their camp.

The allegation, if established, would explain the subsequent military offensive described in the account.

According to Gbaboyor, forces led by then-JTF commander Brigadier General Saki Bello invaded Tompolo’s camp and parts of Gbaramatu Kingdom

He claimed that several of Tompolo’s men were killed and that Tompolo was forced to flee into the bush.

Gbaboyor said Boyloaf then mobilised militant groups in Bayelsa for a possible rescue operation.

Boyloaf Mobilises for Tompolo

According to the account, General Saki Bello contacted Boyloaf and informed him that security forces knew about the planned movement from Bayelsa into Delta State.

Gbaboyor said Bello distinguished Boyloaf’s political grievances from what the military regarded as Tompolo’s alleged involvement in illegal bunkering.

Boyloaf nevertheless reportedly decided to assist.

He allegedly directed John Togo and other fighters to support Skelly, popularly known as Young Shall Grow, in the rescue mission.

When they reached the area, Gbaboyor said Tompolo informed Togo that he had already escaped and was safe.

Young Shall Grow’s fighters nevertheless reportedly engaged troops before withdrawing.

Yar’Adua Meets Boyloaf

The narrative then moves to one of the most significant moments in the peace process.

Gbaboyor said the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua visited Bayelsa State for an official engagement but that the trip also provided an opportunity for a meeting with Boyloaf.

According to the account, former Governor Timipre Sylva helped facilitate the meeting.

Gbaboyor said Yar’Adua met Boyloaf and sought assurances that peace would prevail.

The President reportedly invited Boyloaf to Abuja to complete the peace process and assured him that he would not regret embracing the agreement.

Boyloaf and Okah Fall Out

The relationship between Boyloaf and Okah allegedly deteriorated after Okah’s release

According to Gbaboyor, Okah advised Boyloaf not to withdraw fighters from the creeks or accept the government’s peace agreement.

He allegedly warned that the government intended to arrest Boyloaf.

The account says Okah instead proposed another operation — the overthrow of the government of Equatorial Guinea.

Boyloaf reportedly rejected the proposal.

According to Gbaboyor, Boyloaf’s position was straightforward: he had given the government his word, and the government had fulfilled its own commitment by releasing Okah.

That disagreement, Gbaboyor said, marked a serious rupture between the two men.

Boyloaf proceeded with the peace process and gradually brought fighters out of the creeks.

Groups from Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers reportedly followed.

Alleged Plot Against Boyloaf

Gbaboyor’s account contains another serious allegation: that Okah subsequently sought to undermine the Amnesty Programme and allegedly arranged an assassination plot against Boyloaf.

He claimed that Okah approached the late Soboma George and allegedly asked him to assassinate Boyloaf whenever he entered Port Harcourt.

According to Gbaboyor, Soboma George was shocked by the request and instead contemplated turning against Okah.

The account further alleges that information about the alleged plot eventually reached Boyloaf, prompting him to strengthen his security.

These allegations would require independent documentary or eyewitness corroboration.

The October 1, 2010 Bombing

Gbaboyor also alleged that Boyloaf received intelligence about a planned attack involving vehicle bombs.

According to his account, information was allegedly passed to Boyloaf by someone connected to Okah.

He claimed that the alleged plan involved a bomb near Boyloaf’s residence and additional bombs around Eagle Square in Abuja during the October 1, 2010 Independence Day celebrations.

Gbaboyor said Boyloaf subsequently alerted security authorities.

He claimed that security restrictions were introduced around Eagle Square, including measures restricting vehicles and moving dignitaries in secured buses.

On October 1, 2010, a bomb exploded in Abuja.

The blast killed people and caused injuries, while security agencies subsequently investigated the attack.

Gbaboyor maintains that the advance warning contributed to reducing the potential impact of the attack.

The claims about who specifically planned or facilitated the bombing, however, remain matters requiring reference to official investigations and court records.

Okah’s Imprisonment and the Call for a Fresh Review

Gbaboyor concluded his account by making an appeal for a review of Henry Okah’s situation.

He argued that Okah had suffered enough and suggested that the Federal Government should reconsider the case involving the Okah brothers

He further argued that if former militants who once took up arms against the state could be pardoned and reintegrated, Okah could potentially contribute to the country if released and rehabilitated.

For Gbaboyor, the wider lesson of the Niger Delta struggle is that the region’s history cannot be reduced simply to militancy.

It was also a story about oil, resource control, political exclusion, armed resistance, state power, internal rivalry and, eventually, negotiation.

The account of Boyloaf’s activities portrays a period when militant groups were not merely fighting security forces but were also becoming deeply connected to the politics and economics of crude oil.

That transformation, according to Gbaboyor, shifted the Niger Delta struggle from a political agitation into what increasingly resembled an oil war.

Part 3 continues he said…….