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Notorious bandit Bello Turji accuses Defence minister of backing terrorism

Published

2 months ago

July 21, 2024

Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle

Notorious bandit Bello Turji accuses Defence minister of backing terrorism

Terror kingpin, Bello Turji has spoken from his hideout accusing Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle of complicity in backing terrorism in the country.

His claims cannot be independently verified by PM NEWS at the moment, but what is notable is that banditry started from Zamfara State and was at the peak during the administration of Matawalle as governor.

Turji, in a video, alleged that the issue of insecurity plaguing the country had the full backing of the immediate past Government of Zamfara State.

He said he had evidence to support this claim, alleging that the past government, under Matawalle was well-known to everyone in the region.

“This government has been complicit in backing terrorism. There are individuals from Shinkafi, Zurmi, and Issah who cannot deny this video.

“Many Nigerians, for example those in Bauchi or Kaduna, may not be aware of the problems in Zamfara. However, I want to assure the federal government that if they are unaware, I will provide names, details, and evidence. I urge them to investigate the past actions of these individuals and their discussions with them. As a citizen of this zone, (North West) I swear before God that I speak the truth.

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“The past Government of Zamfara, under Matawalle, facilitated negotiations but also sabotaged efforts. There were multiple negotiations, but the dialogue did not succeed because everyone in Shinkafi and Isah knows the truth. The late Dillu, for example, was chased away by me because he refused to allow peace to reign in Shinkafi.

“They possessed more than 200 rifles, and Matawalle invited them to the government house. If I am lying, there are still in people in the government house that can explain this,” he alleged.

According to Turji, “When we killed Dillu, Kabiru Maniya should explain where the federal or the Zamfara and Sokoto state governments had a dialogue with him to drop his arms. Bashari Maniya should also tell us where he hide his weapons. Everyone knows that they have over 300 rifles, of which I took 30 from them. Let them come out and tell the truth about what is going on.

“As we speak, they are in Sokoto city. People like Malam Murtala Asada (Islamic Scholar) has been saying that there are other Turjis (Bandits) walking freely in the city of Sokoto, referring to Maniya and his cohort who supposedly has over 300 rifles hidden somewhere.”

Turji stated that there are bandit leaders with their boys hiding in various enclaves with weapons ranging from 150 to 300 rifles, but that they now claimed to be working with government forces as repentant.

“And whenever bandits want to attacks any location, they will advise the security to vacate areas in Sokoto to allow the attacks to take place. If I am lying, the people of Mai Lalle should come out and deny that they are not constantly being attacked.

“The bandits attacking them are from the enclave of Shehu in Gonbro forest, in Sokoto. Dan Maigari, the brother to Bashari, has 150 rifles and has coordinated several attacks in Maradun. Ali, a boy to Kabiru Mani, is attacking Tangaza, and these are people living lavishly and freely in Sokoto state capital. Kabiru, Buhari, and others are living lavish lives in Sokoto,” he added.

Turji said within the last three weeks, Buhari’s brother was said to have captured weapon inside Sokoto, saying if he was lying, they should come out and debunked it.

“But I can provide proof of Buhari shooting a GPMG. They should explain to us who gave those boys the arms they are using. The government should explain this to Nigerians and stop accusing Bello Turji of killing and kidnapping people.

“Those being kidnapped around Sokoto, Achida, and Goronyo—who is kidnapping them? Turji, is currently living peacefully in Shinkafi, is not responsible.

“Let the government come out and take responsibility for some of the atrocities being committed and stop falsely accusing others,” he said.

Notorious bandit Bello Turji accuses Defence minister of backing terrorism

Related Topics:bandit Bello Turji Defence Minister

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Kidnappers kill hotel owner, manager, guest after collecting N25m ransom

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Shawulu Dan-Mammam,Commissioner of Police, Niger State

Kidnappers kill hotel owner, manager, guest after collecting N25m ransom

In a tragic turn of events, kidnappers who abducted a hotel owner, his manager, and a guest in Gauraka community, Tafa Local Government Area, Niger State, have executed their captives despite receiving a ransom of N25 million.

The incident, which occurred early on August 17, 2024, has also claimed the lives of two local vigilantes, Abubakar Muhammad and Ibrahim Garba, who were killed while delivering the ransom.

According to reports from City & Crime, the bodies of the victims were found in the Dogon-Daji Forest, a border area between Kaduna, Niger State, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). They were subsequently transported to an air force base near the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.

Hussaini Abubakar, the commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN) in Tafa, confirmed that the remains of the vigilantes were buried on Saturday following military clearance.

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Additionally, a man previously abducted from the community about a month ago was rescued with gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at an army medical facility in Abuja.

The abduction began around 1 am when the kidnappers raided the hotel, forcibly taking all the lodgers. Witnesses reported that the bandits fired shots while leaving, drawing attention to the crime. Despite the presence of a security hunter nearby, the individual fled upon seeing the attackers.

Community residents have expressed growing frustration over the escalating attacks, noting that the bandits frequently operate in nearby forests and along major roads, including the Ijah-Koro and Ijah-Gwari roads leading to Bwari town in the FCT.

Gauraka has experienced at least five kidnapping incidents in the past four months, underscoring the urgent need for increased security measures in the area.

Kidnappers kill hotel owner, manager, guest after collecting N25m ransom

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Five Chinese arrested in Akwa Ibom for illegal mining

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6 hours ago

September 16, 2024

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Five Chinese arrested in Akwa Ibom for illegal mining

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested five Chinese nationals suspected of illegal mining activities in Ndito-Eka-Iba village, located in Ibieno Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State.

The EFCC announced the arrests on Sunday, stating that its Special Task Force on Illegal Mining, operating in Uyo, carried out the operation based on credible intelligence regarding illicit mining activities conducted by foreign companies in Eket and Ibieno LGAs.

This development underscores the ongoing efforts of the EFCC to clamp down on illegal mining and protect Nigeria’s natural resources from exploitation by foreign entities.

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The agency’s vigilance in addressing illegal operations continues to support the country’s broader fight against environmental degradation and economic sabotage.

“The five arrested Chinese suspects are Zhon Qinping, apprehended on 10 September, and Li Yi, Xie Bin, Chen Mou Zhou, and Chen Zeng, arrested on 29 August.

“They were arrested at an illegal mining site, where a mineral suspected to be ilmenite, a titanium-iron oxide mineral, was being extracted.

“The suspects will face charges in court once investigations are concluded,” EFCC said.

Five Chinese arrested in Akwa Ibom for illegal mining

(NAN)

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Katsina community corps arrests suspect supplying hard drugs to bandits

Published

6 hours ago

September 16, 2024

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Umar Shehu

Katsina community corps arrests suspect supplying hard drugs to bandits

The Katsina Community Watch Corps (CWC) has apprehended Umar Shehu on allegations of supplying illegal injections and drugs to bandits involved in kidnappings in Sabuwa Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The arrest was reported by Bakatsine, a security expert and Conflict and Crisis Journalist in the Northwest region, via a post on X.

Accompanying the post was a video showing a significant quantity of syringes and Umar Shehu’s confession to his involvement in the illegal activities.

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“GOOD NEWS: The Katsina Community Watch Corp (CWC) in Ɗandume Local Government Area has successfully apprehended a man named Umar Shehu, who was involved in trafficking illegal injections and drugs to supply to bandits engaged in kidnappings in Sabuwa LGA all in Katsina State,” the post reads.

“The security team gathered crucial information from Umar and others, but only Umar’s information appeared in the video while others were not recorded for security reasons, according to an insider.”