By Kingston Magare 5-8-2025
Islamic clerics in Zamfara State have talked bandit kingpin and wanted terrorist Bello Turji, into partly surrendering some of his arms and releasing 32 kidnapped victims.
This was part of a peace innitiative moved by the clerics to enable farmers return to their farms. One of the clerics involved in the talks, Musa Yusuf, popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah, said a series of meetings with Turji and other fighters in the Fakai forest, located in the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara, hav yielded some success.
“We met Turji, Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa, and Malam Ila. The speculation that Dan Bakkolo was killed is not true. These individuals are responsible for the insecurity in the area, and they all agreed to the peace proposals,” Yusuf said.
“We agreed that the Fulanis must be allowed to go to town without being stereotyped or killed by the vigilante.”
He explained that the group surrendered some of their weapons in three phases and allowed residents to resume farming activities in forest areas previously under their control. And also 32 kidnap victims held by Bello Turji were released.
Yusuf noted that the clerics are still engaging with Turji to secure a complete cessation of hostilities.
But in another location in Zamfara 20 women were abducted on Tuesday, following a fresh attack in Moriki town, Zurmi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A resident of Moriki, Sufyanu Moriki, said that the victims were abducted on Saturday while fetching firewood on the outskirts of the town.
“The abduction actually happened on Saturday, they went out to fetch firewood at the outskirts of the town when they were kidnapped by the armed group,” Moriki told Channels TV.
The Zamfara Police Command’s spokesperson, Yazid Abubakar, said he was yet to be informed about the incident and promised to revert when he gets the information.
Last month, bandits in Zamfara killed 33 people they had kidnapped in February despite receiving a $33,700 ransom, while three babies died in captivity, officials and residents told.