A counter-insurgency expert and security analyst in the Lake Chad region, Zagazola Makama, has said the reported decision of notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji to surrender and accept peace is motivated by survival, not genuine repentance.

Makama stated this in reaction to a recently circulated video in which Turji expressed willingness to lay down his arms and embrace peace.

The video, which went viral over the weekend, has stirred public speculation regarding the motive behind Turji’s apparent change of heart.

However, Makama in a post on X on Monday said the move was not the result of remorse but a strategic decision following the weakening of Turji’s operational strength.

“Turji is not laying down arms because he suddenly loves peace. He is doing so because his operational capabilities have been severely weakened,” Makama said.

He noted that Turji’s decision followed the death of his key operational commander, Danbokolo, who was reportedly killed during a recent joint operation involving the State Security Services and a local security group known as the Hybrid Forces, which includes members of the Civilian Joint Task Force.

According to Makama, Danbokolo was the main force behind Turji’s violent operations, including ambushes, raids, and executions. With his death, Turji’s network reportedly collapsed swiftly, leaving him vulnerable.

“Turji was more of a spokesman. Danbokolo handled the heavy lifting. Once Danbokolo was gone, so was Turji’s swagger,” a security source said.

Sources indicate that the government is still considering how to handle Turji’s offer to surrender.

His potential disarmament is said to be under review, with security forces closely monitoring the situation.

Despite the development, experts have warned that Turji’s surrender alone will not mark the end of banditry in Nigeria’s Northwest, where several other armed groups remain active.

It remains unclear whether the government will grant Turji amnesty, given the scale of atrocities linked to him and his group in the region.

A Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Farouk Aliyu says the 2027 presidential race is not about Nigerians but an “elite contest”.

In an interview on Arise TV on Monday, Aliyu stated that the coalition of opposition leaders plotting to unseat President Bola Tinubu will not succeed.

According to him, the opposition leaders, who recently adopted the African Democratic Congress as an official platform to run the 2027 election were members of the ruling party.

He said, “The coalition is merely a group of former APC members who have left the party.

“While they may not pose a threat to democracy, they certainly don’t pose a threat to the APC either. These individuals are simply aggrieved with the party.

“The coalescing of people against Tinubu and the APC will not succeed, as 2027 is a different political landscape compared to 2015. This fight is not about Nigerians, it’s an elite contest”.

OSUNDAILY NG reports that key opposition figures from the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party and aggrieved members of APC had on Wednesday last week adopted ADC as a platform to kick the ruling party out of the State House.

Yinka Theisen has disclosed that she started a relationship with Linc Edochie after he told her that his estranged wife cheated on him.

OSUNDAILY NG reports that Linc Edochie got married to his estranged wife, Amaka Paula, in December 2010, and they shared two children together.

In May 2025, Linc Edochie got engaged to his new partner, Yinka Theisen.

A month after their engagement, Linc broke up with Yinka for getting involved in Queen May and Yul Edochie’s divorce drama on social media.

However, reacting to the controversy in an interview with actor Uche Maduagwu, Yinka Theisen narrated that she started a relationship with Linc after he accused his ex-wife of cheating on him and smoking weed.

“What Linc did to me, I’m shocked. I can’t lie to you, I’m shocked. This is a man a lot of people don’t know, the family (Edochie) had a tragic event recently. And I was there for him. I came to stay with him in Lagos, I supported him. I will just leave it at that because it’s a sensitive thing, and I don’t want to bring out a family secret that a lot of people don’t know about.

“I started a relationship with him after he told me a very, very sad thing about how his wife was sleeping around in Abuja with all the Alhajis, all these things I have text messages of and that she’s a weed head. She smokes weed every day, and that she withdraws the medication of their last child that had seizures.

“So we became very close in the sense of just emotionally supporting him because I couldn’t believe that a woman would repeatedly cheat on such an awesome man.”

Watch the video below:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLy_rERMBWr/?igsh=MWVnZnZod2NkMG0wYg==