Zamfara State government has confirmed a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against armed bandits as its encounter with the popular armed bandits leader Bello Turji resulted to the killing of over (100) of his kinsmen.
The Governor’s Special Adviser on Security Matters Ahmad Manga who confirmed this to BBC Hausa service on Thursday insisted that the confrontation against Bello Turji was strategic toward ending his excesses.
“Alhamdulillah, he was finally tracked down right in his hideout — a place security agents had never reached before. He realized he was no longer untouchable,” Manga said.
According to him, security forces launched a heavy assault, inflicting significant losses on the gang.
“Several of his men were killed even though their numbers couldn’t be ascertained for now but he has lost many of his figjters” Manga added.
“Most of the corpses recovered after the operation were his fighters
major casualties, Bashari Maniya — a once-feared bandit who reportedly repented and started assisting security agents — died after the vehicle he was in plunged into a deep ditch during the raid.
Manga clarified that contrary to speculations, Maniya wasn’t killed by enemy fire.
“It was a new vehicle, unfamiliar to the terrain. While speeding through the forest, they drove straight into a ditch that looked like a well. The vehicle flipped over and couldn’t be removed so easily.
Maniya and the others in the vehicle were found unconscious when backup arrived.
The vehicle had bulletproof protection, so bullets couldn’t penetrate it, but the crash had already done the damage.
Ahmad Manga reaffirmed Governor Lawal’s commitment to pursuing bandit kingpin Bello Turji until he is brought to justice.
“We won’t stop. The people of Zamfara, especially those from Shinkafi, know what Turji did for 14 years — the pain he caused. But this time, even he knows something has changed. This was the closest anyone has ever gotten to him right inside his house,” Manga said.
He added that the state government plans to bring in additional military personnel to reinforce ongoing operations against Turji’s gang.
