A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State, Dr. Sani Shinkafi, has called on President Bola Tinubu to urgently address the growing security threat posed by notorious bandit leader Bello Turji.
Speaking to journalists in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, Shinkafi expressed deep concern over Turji’s recent threats to turn towns and villages in Sokoto and Zamfara states into “ghost communities” if his demands are not met.
The alarm follows the release of a five-minute video in which Turji, a well-known terror figure in the region, demanded the release of his ally, Bako Wurgi.
Wurgi was arrested by troops of Operation Fansan Yamma at the Shinkafi General Hospital after sustaining injuries in a confrontation with rival bandit groups in the Mania area.
In the video, Turji warned that he would make areas in Shinkafi and Zurmi in Zamfara State, as well as Isa in Sokoto State, uninhabitable if Wurgi was not released.
Reacting to the threats, Shinkafi, a former chairman of the Zamfara State Committee on Banditry-Related Offences, urged President Tinubu to treat the situation as a matter of national urgency.
Shinkafi stressed the importance of deploying additional resources and strategies to neutralize the threat posed by Turji and his gang.
He urged the Federal Government to work closely with security agencies to address the escalating violence and restore peace to the affected communities.
Shinkafi said, “I want to call on Mr President as the Commander-in-Chief of Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to save the lives and properties of good people of Shinkafi, Zurmi local government areas, Isah local government in Sokoto even Sabon-Birnin axis in Sokoto state.
“It is very unfortunate even if it is a slap to the Nigerian Security apparatus where an armed bandit will be issuing all kinds of threats to our local communities because his accomplice was arrested in the hospital.”
He called for immediate collaboration between the governments of Sokoto and Zamfara states to engage with President Tinubu and develop a robust strategy to neutralize the threat.
He said, “I hereby call on the Governments of Sokoto and Zamfara State, all religious leaders, politicians and top Security agencies to come to the aid of our people in these local governments he mentioned in the video, the authorities should not take it lightly.”
The Zamfara-based politician urged security agencies to take Turji’s threats seriously, stressing that failure to act decisively could lead to devastating consequences for communities in the region.
Shinkafi added, “This is the time for security agencies in Zamfara State to wake up and tight their belts to face this criminal squarely, there is no time to wait until he launches an attack, the security agencies should do anything humanly possible, deploy more security personnel to ungoverned spaces to checkmate his excesses. This is the right time for security agencies to act.”
