Bandit leader Turji suspected to be in Zamfara

Bandit leader Bello Turji is suspected to be in the Maradun Local Government Area (LGA) of Zamfara State.

This is according to a statement by security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, Zagazola Makama, on Monday.

“Reports have emerged indicating the suspected presence of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji in Maradun, Zamfara State,” Makama wrote on X.

He said loyalists to Turji, traveling on motorcycles and carrying casualties, were observed by local residents on the evening of January 19 and the morning of January 20, moving towards the Garsa/Kadanya area in Bayanruwa Den.

According to eyewitnesses, the fleeing bandits traversed a route that included Galadi, Damaga, Rudunu, and Danbenchi. Some have reportedly been spotted near the Rudunu, Bankamawa, and Farfaru areas under Faru District, as previously reported.

Makama said further intelligence suggests that Turji, alongside some of his men, is currently at the Garsa/Kadanya hideout, hosted by Jummo Smally, a former rival of the fleeing bandit leader.

Makama had earlier on Monday revealed that two notorious bandit leaders, Abu Radde and Umar Black, surrendered their arms and released captives in Katsina State amid the onslaught of the operatives of the Nigerian military.

According to the security analyst and counterinsurgency expert, the two bandit leaders had been terrorizing communities in Batsari and Safana Local Government Areas of Katsina State.

Makama, in a post shared on his official X account, added that their surrender followed intensified military operations under Operation Hadarin Daji and Operation Forest Sanity in the Northwest region, targeting bandit hideouts and dismantling their strongholds.

“Security sources confirmed that the duo, known for orchestrating kidnappings and cattle rustling, decided to surrender after relentless airstrikes and ground offensives made their operations untenable,” Makama wrote.

According to him, the bandit leaders handed over their weapons, including sophisticated firearms.

Makama added that they released several hostages who had been held in their camps.