Armed groups loyal to notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji have launched multiple deadly attacks on communities in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State, leaving scores dead and many others kidnapped.
According to counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama, the coordinated assaults occurred between Wednesday, August 14, and Friday, August 16.
Residents reported that the raids claimed the lives of villagers, a soldier, and a vigilante member, while several abducted persons remain missing.
Survivors recounted that the bandits ambushed travellers along the Yankasuwa–Masawa road on Wednesday, abducting passengers from vehicles. On Thursday, they stormed Garki village, killing one person, abducting 16 others, and rustling three cows.
The violence continued on Friday when Turtsawa and Faru villages were attacked, with 28 residents reportedly seized.
Confirming the incidents, the Movement for Social Justice, a civil society group in Sokoto, said its monitoring revealed “repeated assaults within a few days despite claims of peace negotiations.” The group urged the Sokoto State Government to act urgently to stem the violence.
Last week, the Defence Headquarters in Abuja dismissed reports that Turji had surrendered. The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, stressed that “he remains on the military’s wanted list.”
Turji, who operates between Sokoto and Zamfara States, has been accused of orchestrating a series of deadly raids and mass abductions across the North-West.
