Crime
Notorious terrorist Bello Turji to FG: You’re not ready to end banditry
On August 21 this year however, Deputy Governor of Zamfara state, Senator Muhammad Hassan Nasiha announced that Turji had embraced peace. But on September 18, he narrowly escaped being killed when the Nigerian Air force bombed his house in Fakai village in Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara state which led to the killing of 12 of his fighters and relatives.
The Defence Headquarters thereafter on November 14 declared him and 18 other terrorists wanted with a price tag of N5m each on their heads.
Reacting to the attack on his house, the bandits warlord, accused the government of breaking the peace accord they had with him to stop banditry and protect the people of Shinkafi axis from any attack.
Speaking on phone with an online Hausa television monitored by Saturday Vanguard, Turji expressed bitterness over the air raid on his abode and the killing of innocent people when he had agreed with government officials and community leaders to abandon banditry.
His words: “I wonder if truly the government wanted to kill me. I think they only wanted to provoke me by making me renege on my promise not to kill anyone. If they could spot my house why couldn’t they sight and kill me because I only left the house a couple of minutes when the bombardment occurred.
“The people should know their enemy from the onset. The government is provoking us so that we will take revenge on the poor masses.
“The government is only fooling the gullible and naive people that they want to end banditry whereas in actual sense, they are the ones fueling the activities of the bandits and also benefiting from them.
“Peace is priceless and I’m ready to be a peace advocate unless the government wants me to be a warmonger. I’m ready for either peace or war. Whatever, the government wants, we can give them a multitude.”
According to him, “there have not been any attacks in the last five months since we reached a truce with the government but now that the military has attacked our home, we feel betrayed especially after the death of vulnerable people in the air strikes. The government only succeeded in destroying some part of my house and other buildings belonging to the innocent people.
“For the past five months, we didn’t attack or kill anyone around Shinkafi. As a result, farming and other businesses were flourishing without any hitches. I feel embarrassed when my name was mentioned after the attacks by other terrorists”.
Turji imposes N20m protection levy on residents
As the Defence Headquarters said they were looking for Turji and announced a N5m price tag on him, the notorious bandit leader was exercising his authority in his area of control by imposing a N20 million “Protection Levy” on Moriki community which is located 33km along Kaura Namoda -Shinkafi road.
Turji had imposed the N20m levy on the residents of the village and asked them to pay the money on or before Sunday, November 27, or face his wrath.
He threatened to attack the Zamfara village if the money was not paid on or before the deadline
He said if the community could raise and deliver the money within two weeks, they should have no fear of attacks and every farmer from the town could tend to his farmland without any intimidation.
Residents said that Turji had escalated attacks on Moriki and other neighbouring communities since the NAF raid on his residence near Fakai village in the neighbouring Shinkafi local government area in September.
Holds five residents hostage over default in payment
A resident, Sani Moriki, said, “after he imposed the levy we met at the community level to see what we could do to raise the said amount of money bearing in our minds the consequences of ignoring his demand.
“We came up with an idea that every household in the community must pay N6,500 and if we add it up we would get the N20 million for onward delivery before the deadline ends.
“We were able to raise N10.6 million as some community members defaulted. We used N100,000 to buy them packs of cigarette, loaves of bread, soft drinks and recharge cards as they instructed.
“Seven members of the community were mobilized and dispatched to deliver the money at an agreed spot near Kasayawa, a community located 1km east of Moriki town. After the delivery team arrived at the location, seventeen Turji boys rode to the spot and asked for the money and other items we bought for them.
“However, when Turji’s attention was drawn to the fact that the money brought was N10.5 million not N20 million as agreed he became angry and ordered his boys to hold five out of seven members of the delivery team. He asked them to take the residents to one of his camps in Jirari forest straddling Zurmi and Shinkafi local government areas. Two of them escaped and arrived home this morning.
“We are now put on edge and we have started making effort to reach out to him that we will deliver the balance of N10 million to him. We are in a serious trouble as a people,”
Some days ago, the people however heaved a sigh of relief when they eventually completed the levy and handed it to him.
Community completes payment
An indigene of the area who requested anonymity for security reasons, said that the money was eventually paid last Sunday adding that some people who fled to other places, had started returning to the village.
“Many people including myself have returned to the village because of the payment of the levy. Few farmers are also going to the farm although confidence is not totally back.
“We paid additional sum of N6 million for the release of five people abducted by the terrorists who belonged to Bello Turji’s camp”, he said.
Meanwhile, a University don, Dr Murtala A. Rufa’i from Usman Danfodio University, in his book titled “I’m a bandit”, had revealed the names of some terrorist leaders, location of their enclave and even the membership strength of each terrorist group.
According to the book, in Maradun, Maru, Shinkafi, Zurmi, Birnin magaji and Tsafe local government areas of Zamfara state alone there are about 62 groups of bandits.
In Maradun Local government, the bandit leader, Samaila of Bryan Dutse has 150 members; Jimmo Fadama of Bayan Ruwa controls 80 members; Simoli Jaya of Bayan Ruwa leads 65 members; Sahabi of Bayan Ruwa has 250 members; Naakka of Bayan Ruwa has 180 members; Sani Baruwanka of Dagwarwa village controls 250 members; Maibokolo of Dajin yartunniya, 300 members; Haruna Zango of Dammaka village, 280 members while Muntari of Duddubi village has 310 members.
In Shinkafi local government there are Bello Turji of Fakai village with 2,500 members; Atarwatse of Dajin Mashema with 200 members; Danmakwado of Kamarawa and Barawa villages has 550 membership strength, while Nagona of Surduku has 200 members.
Tsafe local government has the likes of Idi of Guga village who has 100 members in his camp; Baba Yayi also of Guga has 100 members; Juli of Kwankwanba village has 100 members while Tukur of munhaye has 90 members.
According to the researcher, Zurmi local government has four notorious bandit groups and they include Dankarami of Tsanu village with 750 members. Kachalla of North Mayasa, 1,200 members and Maidaji of North Labunde,1,500 members.
In Birnin Magaji local government, all the groups live in Rugu village and they comprise of Alhaji Zaki with 85 members; Yalo (Yellow) 60 members and Hassan, 28 members.
A young man suspected of attempting to steal cables from a transformer was found dead after reportedly being electrocuted along Trademore Road in Lugbe, Abuja, in the early hours of Friday.
The deceased was reportedly found crouched and lifeless near the transformer, with his body said to have become stiff, suggesting he may have been electrocuted when power was restored.
Residents said there had been no electricity supply in the area on Thursday night before the incident occurred.
The discovery attracted a crowd of residents, who expressed concern over the increasing activities of cable vandals in different parts of the Federal Capital Territory.
Rasheed Ogunyemi, a resident of Iddo Seriki along the Airport Road, said residents in his area often contribute money to repair their transformer, only for vandals to return and cut the cables.
The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, SP Josephine Adeh, confirmed the incident, stating that the deceased’s body had been evacuated and deposited at a mortuary in Gwagwalada for autopsy.
More than 60 worshippers are feared to have been kidnapped from the Central Mosque in Dekara town, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State, during Jumu’at prayers on Friday.
The incident occurred when suspected terrorists, said to be operating in large numbers, stormed the mosque while the prayers were ongoing.
According to sources, the attackers fired several shots before rounding up some of the worshippers and taking them into the surrounding forest.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Borgu Local Government Area witnessed several security incidents on Friday, including attacks on three communities.
“So many things happened in Borgu LGA on Friday. Terrorists attacked three communities, including Dekara. In Dekara, they went to the Central Mosque while Jumu’at prayer was ongoing and kidnapped more than 60 people. But they did not injure anybody,” the resident said.
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ijumu Local Government Area of Kogi State, Oyewole Mayowa Solomon, has died after reportedly collapsing during a party reconciliation meeting in Iyara, the council headquarters.
Solomon reportedly slumped suddenly while participating in the meeting convened on Friday by a former Ijumu council chairman, Funsho Olumoko, as part of efforts to resolve internal disagreements and promote unity among APC stakeholders in the area.
An eyewitness said the incident caused confusion among participants, who immediately attempted to revive the party chairman before rushing him to a hospital in Kabba.
He reportedly died shortly after arriving at the hospital.
The development shocked party leaders and other stakeholders who had gathered for the reconciliation meeting, which was aimed at strengthening the APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The meeting was expected to bring together party leaders, ward and local government executives, women and youth leaders, as well as government appointees from the 15 wards in Ijumu.
The incident occurred amid renewed efforts by APC stakeholders in the council to resolve longstanding disagreements and restore unity within the local chapter.
Earlier in the month, party leaders in Ijumu had endorsed President Bola Tinubu and Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, for second terms.
However, that gathering was reportedly disrupted by disagreements over the leadership of the local government, with Solomon and some other officials said to have walked out of the meeting.
Olumoko, who organised Friday’s reconciliation meeting, had previously been mandated by the Ijumu Consultative Forum to facilitate dialogue among political stakeholders in the council.
Solomon’s sudden death is expected to create fresh uncertainty around the ongoing reconciliation efforts within the Ijumu APC, coming barely two weeks after stakeholders renewed calls for unity ahead of the 2027 elections.
The cause of his death had not been officially disclosed as of the time of filing this report, while efforts to obtain an official reaction from the APC were ongoing.
Tension and grief have gripped the political community in Enugu State following the suspected murder of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) Chairman in Udenu Local Government Area, Chisimdiri Emmanuel Ngwu.
Ngwu, described as one of the longest-serving members of the ADC in the state, was reportedly found dead in the early hours of Wednesday, August 19, 2026, under circumstances that have raised concerns among his family, friends and political associates.
A family source told our correspondent that Ngwu woke up early on Wednesday, left the house and never returned alive.
The source said the family became worried after they noticed he was missing, only to later discover his lifeless body outside the compound.
“We woke up and didn’t see him, only to discover his lifeless body in front of our compound,” the source said.
The source further alleged that scratches were found around Ngwu’s neck and that his neck appeared to have been twisted backwards, raising suspicions about the circumstances of his death.
The incident has sparked concern within the ADC in Udenu and the wider political community in Enugu State, with calls for security agencies to thoroughly investigate the matter and bring anyone found responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, two persons have reportedly been arrested in connection with the incident.
Their identities and the specific circumstances surrounding their arrest were not immediately known as of press time.
Ngwu’s death has since sent shock waves through the ADC, with party members and associates mourning his death and demanding a transparent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The Anambra State Police Command has uncovered the circumstances surrounding the alleged murder of a 56-year-old man, Mr Kelechi Madu, in Awkuzu, Oyi Local Government Area, two days after he was reported missing.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday, August 21, 2026, by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Tochukwu Ikenga, who said the breakthrough followed a coordinated search and investigation by police operatives, local vigilantes and members of the deceased’s family.
Madu was reported missing by his wife on August 18, after he reportedly left home on the evening of August 17 and failed to return.
According to the Command, the search for the missing man took a grim turn later that day when his wife returned to the police station to report that he had been found dead in a nearby bush at Umuobi, Awkuzu.
Police operatives immediately mobilised to the scene, where they found Madu’s lifeless body with a deep axe wound to his head. His remains were subsequently evacuated and deposited at a hospital mortuary for preservation.
Following the discovery, detectives intensified their investigation and arrested the deceased’s 32-year-old friend, Mr Ifeanyi Nwankwo, who allegedly confessed to being involved in the planning of the killing.
Preliminary findings by the Command indicated that Nwankwo allegedly obtained money from Madu through fraudulent means, claiming he would assist him in acquiring a piece of land.
Police alleged that the suspect subsequently engaged two other persons to eliminate Madu in an attempt to conceal the alleged fraudulent transaction and prevent the victim from recovering the money.
The Command said two other suspects linked to the alleged plot were also arrested, bringing the number of persons apprehended in connection with the case to four.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State Command, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, psc, mnips, has directed investigators to intensify the probe and identify every person involved in the alleged conspiracy and murder.
The CP vowed that all persons found culpable would be brought to justice.
The Command, through Ikenga, assured residents that it would continue to strengthen intelligence-led policing and community partnerships to prevent violent crimes, uncover criminal networks and ensure that perpetrators face the full weight of the law.
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