…says Jackrich founded the group in 2005
A former commander of the defunct Niger Delta Liberation Force (NDLF) has said that the late General John Togo was not the founder of the militant organisation.
General Julius Wilson, popularly known as General Mabeke, has broken years of silence to set the record straight about the true founding of the NDLF, claiming that High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, aka Egberipapa, a Rivers State-based former militant leader, was the original founder of the group.
In an interview, Mabeke dismissed as false the circulating narratives on blogs and social media that the late General John Togo, the Ayakoromo-born leader, founded the NDLF.
“That is a big lie from the pit of hell. While I do not intend to delve into their assumptions, it became expedient that I put the records straight for people to know the true story,” he said.
Mabeke, who claims to be one of the founding members of the group, provided a detailed account of how the NDLF came into existence, dating back to their time in prison.
“The late General John Togo was my bosom friend. Myself, the late Austin Abai who was the commander, the late Endurance and the late Kirsten were the people who invited the late John Togo to our clique at Ogbokone community in Warri during the Itshekiri-Ijaw Crisis to join us,” he explained.
According to Mabeke, the group later visited High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich’s camp in Rivers State, where the NDLF was actually born.
“We visited High Chief Soboma Jackrich, General Egberipapa’s Camp in Rivers State. Myself, Hon. Julius Wilson aka Mabeke, John Togo, Peter Bighead and later Jerry were the people that visited General Egberipapa,” Mabeke recounted.
He said that because of the close relationship between John Togo and High Chief Jackrich, they used to call themselves husband and wife whenever they met, as they were like an inseparable couple.
According to him, it was during this visit that the late John Togo indicated interest in joining the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND), but was surprised by Jackrich’s response.
“Surprisingly, High Chief said he is not doing that. That he has his own group and the name is Niger Delta Liberation Force. We saw the flag of his camp with plenty of soldiers already on ground,” Mabeke stated.
He further revealed that Jackrich equipped them with substantial resources before they left Rivers State.
“He gave the late John Togo a brand new merchandise as at then worth over ₦10 million and some logistics before we left Rivers State. General Egberipapa declared the late John Togo 2nd in command and not John Togo being leader,” he said.
Mabeke challenged the timeline of the narrative that John Togo founded the group, pointing out that they were incarcerated at the time.
“The question is, as at 2005 when the NDLF was founded, we were all locked up in Okere Prison. Does it mean it was founded while in prison without my knowledge?
“So no one should come online to dispense false stories they know nothing about. The defunct Niger Delta Liberation Force was founded by High Chief Egberipapa of Rivers State,” Mabeke said.
The revelation adds a new dimension to the complex history of militancy in the Niger Delta, where several groups emerged in the early 2000s to agitate for resource control and greater development of the oil-rich region.
High Chief Sobomabo Jackrich, also known as Egberipapa, has since transitioned from militancy to politics and community development.
According to a September 2024 report by Vanguard, Jackrich is now the founder of the Rivers Grassroots Movement (RGM) and has been commended for his commitment to good governance and development in Rivers State and the Niger Delta region.
Jackrich has been described as walking “the path of great leaders like Adaka Boro, Chiefs Harold Dappa Biriye, Chief Edwin Clark and other prominent Ijaw leaders who literally lived their lives agitating for a Niger Delta where its rich oil and gas resources will translate into meaningful development for the people.”
The late General John Togo, who according to Mabeke was appointed as the 2nd in command of the NDLF, was killed in May 2011 during a military operation by the Joint Task Force. Some sources suggest his location may have been betrayed by local informants.