Notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, has released a new video confirming that negotiations are ongoing with him to end violence and insecurity in parts of Zamfara and neighbouring states.
In the video, which surfaced online on Thursday, Turji said the negotiations were aimed at fostering lasting peace to allow farmers and herders to coexist peacefully and go about their livelihoods without fear of violence or harassment.
“What we want is peace — peace that will enable Fulani herders and Hausa farmers to live without fear or oppression,” Turji said in Hausa.
The terrorist commander, however, launched a scathing attack on his staunch critic, Sheikh Murtala Bello Asada, an Islamic cleric who had recently dismissed reports of any negotiations between the terrorist leader and government representatives.
Turji accused the cleric of deliberately misleading the public. “You sit in the hall (mosque) surrounded by people and on social media saying there are no talks.
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“If you are brave, come and lead the security forces to arrest me yourself since that is what you always preach,” he said.
The Federal Government and Zamfara State authorities are yet to officially confirm the ongoing negotiations, though previous efforts at dialogue with bandit leaders in the North West have been marred by setbacks and public criticism.
Bello Turji is regarded as one of the most dangerous terrorist leaders in Nigeria’s North West, who has for years masterminded mass killings, kidnappings, and attacks on security formations across Zamfara, Sokoto, and Katsina States.