THE chief of defence staff (CDS), Christopher Musa, has vowed to bring to justice one of the bandits’ kingpins terrorising Zamfara State and some parts of the Northwest region of the country, Bello Turji.
Musa promised that Turji would be made to pay for his offences against humanity very soon.
The CDS stated this at the Defence Headquarters, Abuja, during a press briefing on recent security developments.
According to him, Turji’s days are numbered and it is a matter of time before he meets his waterloo.
The defence chief made the promise a few days after President Bola Tinubu’s directive to the military to address the killing of innocent Nigerians in Sokoto State.
Musa assured that the military will also end extortionate levies imposed by Turji’s group and other terrorists on farmers.
Recent reports reveal that terrorists in the Northeast, Northwest, and North Central regions have been extorting farmers, demanding payment of levies in exchange for access to their farmlands.
Musa described Turji as a deranged individual who feels power but promises that his time will soon be over.
“A matter of time, we’re going to get this and I can assure you within the shortest possible time. We’re going to address that issue on the payment (of levies from farmers). That is what they live on. And it shows you the desperation they are in.
“One, even when they get the money, they don’t have a way to use it. Two is that the money they’re getting, they know is blood money. And that is why we all must come together to work with members of the armed forces and security agencies to deny them the ability to move freely within our communities,” the CDS stated.
Musa urged the public not to provide any support to terrorists and refrain from sharing information on troop movements, as this has been exploited to perpetuate violence, largely due to insider information from community informants.
Recall that the federal government on September 1 directed the minister of state for defence, Bello Matawalle, and other military chiefs to relocate to Sokoto State to intensify efforts to eliminate the menace of banditry, kidnapping, and terrorism in the Northwest region.
The government emphasised that the move was part of its strategy to combat the ongoing security challenges in the region.
Reacting to the decision, Matawalle said they would oversee operations to dismantle the criminal network led by Bello Turji and his gang of bandits in the region.
He noted that there was an urgent need to move against the terrorists to enable people to move freely.
Following his appointment in August 2023, The ICIR reported how Mattawalle’s previous role as governor was marked by heavy criticisms due to insecurity issues that plagued Zamfara State under his administration.
Mattawalle, who served as the governor of Zamfara State between May 2019 to 2023, left the state as one of the worst hit by terrorist attacks in Nigeria.
A reporter with the ICIR
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