Bello Turji Not Killed in US Airstrikes, Security Expert Debunks Reports

Bello Turji Not Killed in US Airstrikes, Security Expert Debunks Reports

Claims that notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji was killed during recent United States airstrikes in Sokoto State have been dismissed as false and misleading.

A security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, said on Sunday that findings from his fact-checking platform confirmed that Turji is alive and has relocated to a community near the Nigeria–Niger Republic border.

According to Makama, reports circulating on social media suggesting that the bandit leader was killed in a US-led airstrike are entirely unfounded.

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“Reports making the rounds that Bello Turji was killed in a United States airstrike are false,” Makama said. “Our findings indicate that Turji is alive and currently taking refuge at Dubagale, north of Dan Adama village in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, about 25 kilometres from the Niger Republic border.”

He added that the viral reports were likely driven by misinformation and recycled narratives linked to intensified counter-banditry operations in parts of north-western Nigeria.

“The reports are entirely unfounded. Bello Turji was not killed in any airstrike. He is alive and has relocated close to the Niger border,” Makama said.

Bello Turji, a long-wanted bandit leader operating mainly in Zamfara State and neighbouring areas, has been linked to deadly attacks, mass abductions, and the displacement of communities across the region.

Bello Turji Not Killed in US Airstrikes, Security Expert Debunks Reports