A NOTORIOUS terrorist, Bello Turji, has reappeared in Sokoto, North-West of Nigeria, rattling farmers, jobless villagers and other small-income members of communities in the state. He has also imposed N25 million on each of the communities.
“Bello Turji is currently in the Isa and Sabon Birni axis of Sokoto. He has even imposed a ₦25 million levy per village in some communities,” said a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, Mr Aminu Boza, who represents Sabon Birnin Gobir constituency.
Mr Boza told journalists on Thursday in Sokoto that security agencies must act swiftly to prevent further devastation in the region. Turji’s reappearance comes after his months of silence and intensified military operations targeting him and his terrorist network.
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Turji has managed to escape several military attacks but not so for some of his lieutenants. Security agenccies recently arrested a notorious arms dealer known for supplying weapons to him and other terrorist groups in the region, Hamza Suruddubu, Pulse reported.
According to a statement by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Mr Zagazola Makama, the terrorist, Suruddubu, was apprehended in Isa Local Government Area by security agencies following intelligence reports.
“Suruddubu, an arms dealer from Eastern Sokoto, has long been involved in the trafficking and distribution of weapons from Zamfara State to terrorist strongholds in Eastern Sokoto,” Makama said.
“Investigations indicate that Suruddubu not only supplies weapons but also facilitates the provision of essential supplies, including foodstuffs and motorcycles, for criminal groups operating in the region,” Makama added.
Military hunt for Turji’s ‘head’
The military are desperately searching for Bello Turji. Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, told Operation Fansan Yamma in Gusau, Zamfara State, recently to get Turji – dead or alive – in 30 days’ time.
“I don’t want to hear about Turji’s incessant attacks, especially in Zamfara, Sokoto and Kebbi where he unleashes attacks on innocent people. I give you 30 days to get Turji and his lieutenants wherever they are hiding,” he said, noting that the directive had become necessary following the escalation of banditry by Turji in Zamfara, Sokoto and some parts of Kebbi states.
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The army chief told the troops that the Nigerian Army under his watch would remain committed to the well-being of soldiers, stressing that adequate logistics and support would be provided for troops to enable them to fight against banditry and other forms of terrorism in the North-West region.
The amy chief recently vowed that notorious bandit leader Bello Turji would soon be eliminated.
“Bello Turji is on the run as we speak, and wherever he goes, we follow him. Let him keep running — it is just a matter of time before he is removed from the space,” the army chief said.
The military had recently described him as “a dead man walking.”
Who is Bello Turji?
Many Nigerians sometimes wonder who Bello Turji is. He is a notorious terrorist leader operating in Niger, Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara states. He was born in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A Fulani by tribe, “Turji claims that some of his family’s cattle were stolen by a pro-security forces vigilante group called the Yan Sakai who also murdered six of Turji’s siblings. Turji also claims his father tried to sue the Emir of Zurmi (to whom the stolen cattle were given) but his efforts failed, and that the Yan Sakai killed his uncle. Turji told the Daily Trust in an interview that this had prompted him to take up arms,” a Wikipedia account notes.
Turji believes that Fulani people are unjustly killed by security agencies and communities and he has vowed to revenge. In 2021, the Yan Sakai attacked a mosque in Gwadabawa, Sokoto State, killing 11 people. Turji mobilised his men and attacked an open market, killing 50 persons.
He also attacked a bus in Sabon Birni, also in Sokoto, burning all the passengers. About 30 persons died in the process. “Bello Turji believes the security issues in Nigeria have been politicized and that the government is not treating the ethnic groups in the country equally. He stressed that even the media discriminates against the Fulanis and never reports the killing of innocent Fulanis.[16] He claimed that all he wants is peace to reign in the country,” the Wikipedia account adds.
