Eshioromeh Sebastian, Abuja
In a dramatic turn of events, notorious bandit leader Bello Turji has not only denied receiving millions in payoff money from government peace talks but has pointed an accusatory finger at two former state governors, alleging they are the true architects of the insecurity plaguing the region.
The development comes amid a heated dispute with a former government-appointed peace mediator.
The controversy ignited when former mediator Musa Kamarawa, who was appointed by the Sokoto and Zamfara state governments to facilitate dialogue with armed groups, publicly alleged that Turji received the sum of ₦30 million during several meetings at the Zamfara State Government House in Gusau with the then-Governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle, who is now the Minister of State for Defence.
Kamarawa also claimed vehicles were distributed to the bandit leader.
In a viral video response, Turji vehemently denied the claims.
“By Allah, since I was born, I have never possessed even N5m,” he stated unequivocally. He directly addressed the allegations, saying, “What I am doing is not for personal gain. We were never given the N30m you are talking about.”
He accused Kamarawa of betrayal, asserting, “We agreed on peace when the Zamfara State government appointed you. But what you are saying now is full of lies and deceit. I did not even receive N3m.”
However, Turji’s video moved beyond mere denial into a stunning accusation. In a clear attempt to shift the narrative of responsibility, he named former Sokoto State governor Attahiru Bafarawa and former Zamfara State governor Senator Ahmed Yerima, calling for their arrest and investigation.
He blamed these former political leaders for fuelling the insecurity crisis long before the administration of Matawalle, implicitly positioning himself as a symptom of a deeper, politically-rooted disease. Turji further sought to distance his activities from any political patronage, declaring, “We are not politicians, and we are not tools of politicians. There is no human being backing us.”
He framed his entire statement as a solemn defence, saying he was speaking “before Allah alone.”
These claims and counter-claims are coming against a backdrop of sustained calamity in Nigeria’s North-West. What began over a decade ago as localized clashes between farmers and herders over resources metastasised into a full-blown crisis of banditry, kidnapping, and terror.
Thousands of villages have been raided, burnt, or abandoned. Tens of thousands of civilians have been killed, and thousands more displaced from their homes, creating a dire humanitarian situation.
The violence in the region, like other parts of the north, has severely strained the country’s security forces, stretched thin across multiple internal conflicts, and has had a devastating impact on the national economy by disrupting trade routes, discouraging investment, and diverting crucial public funds into security budgets. The crisis represents one of the most severe threats to life, livelihood, and stability in modern Nigeria.
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