Again Zamfara bandit leader, Turji, escapes NAF bombings

Notorious Zamfara bandit leader, Bello Turji, narrowly escaped being trapped in aerial bombings by the Nigerian Air Force fighter jets on his enclave located in Fakai in the Shinkafi Local Government Area, Zamfara State.

NAF troops, acting on intelligence on the convergence of bandits at Turji’s home, had bombed the location using two fighter jets on Saturday afternoon.

The bandits were said to have gathered for the naming ceremony of a baby born to Turji’s family.

However, Turji and most of his close associates escaped the attack, having left the spot to observe the afternoon prayer (zuhr) just before the strikes.

“He (Turji) directed that they should observe the prayers. Those who didn’t leave for the prayers were hit by the bombs,” a source in Shinkafi said.

Daily Trust reports that the escape on Saturday was the second time for the bandit leader. In December 2021, a NAF bomb targeted at his camp hit some of his fighters, wounding many and killing at least one person.

A source from the nearby village of Dangondi, who was among those who escaped the Saturday airstrike, told Daily Trust that many people were killed but did not give figures. He said those killed were buried after the commotion from the attack died down.

“Some young men were killed. There were also women and children who had gathered for the ceremony,” he said.

Turji is notorious for his role in the banditry challenge in Zamfara State and beyond.

He manages a large gang of gunmen who for years have terrorised residents in Shinkafi and Zurmi LGAs of Zamfara, and Isa and Sabon Birni LGAs of Sokoto State.

Late last year, the bandit leader told Daily Trust on Sunday in an exclusive interview that he was laying down his arms.

But a security source said Turji’s repentance was doubted by security agencies as he allegedly continued to acquire more weapons.

It was however, gathered that the attack on Turji is suspected to have been made possible through information provided by his arch-rivals from nearby Maniya community.

Turji has for long being in a fierce rivalry with the Maniya gang, with the two sides clashing on occasions.

In June, this year, Turji led his men to attack the enclave of the bandits in Maniya, killing one of the leaders in the area known as Dullu.

The attack by Turji followed a series of warnings to the gang in Maniya to desist from waylaying travellers and attacking villagers, after he had struck a ceasefire deal with the locals.

“The strong suspicion is that the Maniya boys snitched on him when they heard of the gathering,” a source in Shinkafi said.

“People are in a panic,” a resident of Shinkafi, Alhaji Murtala Wadatau, told Daily Trust by phone on Sunday afternoon.   He said there was an uneasy calm in Shinkafi and surrounding villages as residents were worried over what could follow the airstrikes.

Bandits are known to have retaliated against attacks by security agents on local communities.

Responding to the people’s fears, Director of Defence Information, Major General Jimmy Akpor, said the military “will continue to maintain the heat” on the bandit groups.

“Operations are going to be sustained both by air and ground troops,” he told Daily Trust.