Bandits suspected of being foot soldiers for bandit leader Bello Turji kidnapped ten passengers and burnt their vehicle on the Kaura-Namoda-Shinkafi Road in Zamfara state.
The event occurred one day after the Defence Headquarters branded Turji “a dead man walking,” saying that he and other terror masterminds would not live until 2025.
Turji had threatened to resume the abduction and death of innocent people in Zamfara and Sokoto states if his brother, Baka Wurgi, who is currently in military detention, was not released by the end of December 2024.
Wurgi was admitted to Shinkafi General Hospital, and military soldiers snatched him away from his hospital bed.
Turji threatened to unleash attacks on local residents if Wurgi remained with the military.
The bandits, presumed to be Turji’s gang, launched the first attack on the Kaura-Namoda-Shinkafi Road after the military’s deadline to release Wurgi expired.
According to reports, bandits assaulted the passenger van about 8 a.m. while transporting ten passengers to Shinkafi town from Gusau, the capital of Zamfara State.
The incident occurred in Kwanar Jalab hamlet, Zungeru Ward, Shinkafi Local Government Area.
Garba Sani, a local resident, claimed that the bandits seized all of the occupants in the truck before setting it on fire.
Sani claimed that this was the first time the criminals had burnt down a car after abducting occupants.
“This is the first time we are witnessing this sad event of bandits burning a vehicle after they abducted the passengers.
“They used to kidnap people along the road, but they have never burnt vehicles after an operation,” Sani said.
He stated that the incident was most likely linked to Turji’s threat over the detention of his brother.
“You are aware that Bello Turji had threatened to launch attacks in response to the arrest of his relative Wurgi. What happened on this road could be as a result of the threat by Turji to force the government to release his brother Baka Wurgi,” Sani said.
Dr. Sani Shinkafi, a leader of the ruling All Progressives Congress, has repeatedly asked security officers to take action against Turji’s threat before the matter spirals out of control.
He said, “I am calling on the security agents to do something immediately to deal with the bandit leader Bello Turji before he wreaks havoc on innocent people.
“This is a slap in the face of the military personnel to continue folding their arms while a dreaded bandit leader, Bello Turji, continues sending videos of threats to innocent people, and he is still not arrested.”
Attempts to reach Maj. Gen. Edward Buba, Director of Defence Media Operations, for comment were unsuccessful. As of the time of making this report, he had not returned any calls or responded to any messages sent to his mobile device.
During an end-of-year briefing in Abuja on Tuesday, Buba addressed Turji’s threat, saying his days were numbered.
He said, “Indeed, Bello Turji is merely a dead man walking. It will be insulting to try to take issues or join words with a terrorist. Before him, there were other terrorists who boasted that they would deal with security forces. Today they have all been taken out. We will do the same with other terrorist leaders like him.
“All these terrorist leaders that we are seeing today, before them, there were some that thought that they were champion upon champion. Where are they? They are buried.
“They are dead. And I assure you that those of them that are leaders today, commanders, or whatever they call themselves, just watch out.
“I will from this platform tell you we have buried them (terrorist leaders) on the battlefield, because that is their fate in 2025. They are dead men walking. C’est fini.”
