Following allegations that infamous bandit leader Bello Turji and his supporters are undergoing tactical drills and weapon training in areas of Sokoto State’s Isa Local Government Area, communities in the state’s eastern region have expressed new security concerns.
Residents in border settlements that have long suffered from frequent attacks, kidnappings, and livestock rustling along the Sokoto-Zamfara axis are now more afraid as a result of the development.
According to security sources, the purported training operations are occurring in the Eastern Senatorial District’s communities of Bingabale, Bafarawa, Bargaja, and Gebe.
Turji is one of the most infamous bandit and terrorist leaders operating in northwest Nigeria, especially in Zamfara, Sokoto, and portions of Niger State. The region has long been considered one of Turji and his network’s operational strongholds.
He has been connected to multiple violent attacks that killed a large number of locals and security officers, damaged livelihoods, and resulted in the kidnapping of numerous individuals around the area.
Numerous fighters from several camps in Zamfara State, including as those in Zurmi, Sabon Birni, Anka, and other areas, are thought to be under the direction of the bandit kingpin.
According to reports, Turji has turned down a number of peace initiatives over the years from impacted communities hoping to make amends and restore access to their markets, schools, farms, and medical facilities.
Former Defence Minister Mohammed Abubakar Badaru ordered Operation Fansan Yamma troops in October 2024 to capture Turji and other known bandit commanders while they were still alive.
During a visit to Gusau, Zamfara State, Badaru addressed the troops, saying, “President Tinubu has asked me to thank you and to also encourage you to do more in ending insecurity in these operational areas.”
“He is prepared to provide everything you require to eradicate insecurity throughout Nigeria and in the Northwest.”
“Are you ready to finish them off?” he continued. Are you prepared to put a stop to banditry in this nation? “Please get me Turji, alive or dead,” he continued.
Turji was referred to as a “dead man walking” by the military high command that same year, and they promised to continue their operations against him and his fighters.
Turji and his organization have persisted in carrying out attacks and other illegal actions in areas of the Northwest in spite of these pronouncements and ongoing military offensives.
Turji’s fighters are using new weapons in military-style drills.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, Basharu Altine Guyawa Isa, the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance’s Sokoto State Coordinator, said that Turji’s warriors were engaging in military-style training and weapons handling drills with recently purchased firearms.
Illa Manawa and Bomi, whom he described as Turji’s younger brother, are among those taking part in the drills, he claimed.
He asserted that advanced weapons purportedly used in recent conflicts with local security personnel were used in the drills.
Basharu further claimed that initial investigations showed the firearms were a part of a new shipment that the organization had just purchased, raising questions about a potential rise in the amount of firepower available to armed gangs in the area.
According to his observations, “these fighters are currently participating in weapons training and tactical exercises using newly acquired arms, including some of the same sophisticated weapons reportedly deployed during recent confrontations with security forces.”
According to reports, the purported training sessions are occurring in isolated towns along the Sokoto-Zamfara border, a region that has been challenging to secure despite continuous military operations under Operation Fansan Yamma.
The activist further said that recently arrived fighters with sophisticated combat and weapon handling skills, who were thought to have ties to Boko Haram, had come to the region to bolster and train Turji’s fighters.
Some of the recent newcomers appear to have excellent fighting and weapon handling skills. Their mis
He claimed that information obtained from sources in Binchi indicated that one of the goods recently brought to Turji’s camp was a night-vision device that Turji supposedly bought last week.
Basharu further claimed that the acquisition and transportation of the weapons were related to Kachalla Haru Dole and Kachalla Ibrahim Chimo, whom he characterised as leaders in charge of sizable bandit camps outside the Maradun River. As investigations into the alleged alliance, the movement of the weapons, and the wider security implications for communities across Eastern Sokoto continued, Basharu said more information would emerge. He claimed that the two commanders played crucial roles in facilitating the delivery of the arms alongside Turji. He expressed concern that the alliance might be part of preparations for coordinated attacks on the headquarters of five local government areas in the region before the peak of the rainy season. He called on security agencies to intensify surveillance and take prevent any potential threat to lives and property.
Video: Turji takes blame for the deaths of soldiers
The activist posted a video on Facebook on Sunday morning, hours after making the accusations, claiming it revealed some of Turji’s recently obtained weaponry.
Basharu said in a follow-up post that the film was made public by Turji on June 20, 2026, and included pictures of some of the weapons mentioned in his previous report.
He added that Turji utilised the footage to highlight what he called victories against security troops stationed along the Isa-Bargaja line.
had described how an improvised explosive device (IED) detonated on a military vehicle transporting troops to the Bargaja hamlet in the Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, killing three soldiers and injuring dozens more.
After a bandit raid on the village in the early hours of Saturday, the troops were reportedly responding to a distress call.
Residents informed Daily Trust that between 12:30 and 3:00 in the morning, robbers broke into the community and began firing intermittently, leading the locals to appeal for military assistance.
Before the forces arrived, the assailants allegedly put an IED along the Isa-Bargaja route, according to a resident who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The bandit leader expressed his excitement over the deaths of several of his adversaries in the video that Turji posted following the event.
At the time this article was filed, it was not possible to independently verify the assertions made in the Facebook posts and accompanying video.
Neither the military nor the police authority have released a statement on the incident as of the time this article was filed.
The Sokoto State Police Command’s spokesperson, DSP Ahmad Rufai, did not return calls, texts, or WhatsApp messages, thus attempts to get comments from the command were futile.
However, military insiders claimed that the military was evaluating the situation and was aware of the intelligence findings. He gave his word that the proper security measures were being put in place.
Turji’s crimes
Over the years, Turji, one of the most infamous bandit leaders in Nigeria’s northwest, has been connected to a number of fatal attacks, mass kidnappings, and violent altercations with security forces, especially in the states of Sokoto and Zamfara.
In the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Turji allegedly killed 63 locals, burnt over 338 buildings on fire, and kidnapped over 200 people in July 2021.
According to reports, the action was intended to put pressure on security services to free his father, who had been imprisoned due to suspected connections to his son’s illegal activities.
In September 2021, two months later, Turji carried out yet another significant assault in Sokoto State’s Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
Over 1,000 cattle were rustled and people of over 14 villages were forced to escape their homes as a result of the incident.
According to reports, a large number of locals fled to Maradi in the nearby Niger Republic.
The attack on Burkusuma Camp, a combined military base in Dama village, Sabon Birni Local Government Area, was one of the most recent incidents connected to Turji.
Turji and his supporters have frequently attacked a number of localities, including Dama.
An unknown number of security officers were reportedly slain during the attack.
The assailants took guns and other military equipment and set fire to military vehicles. Troops stationed at the camp reportedly had to flee to Basira, a border town close to the Niger Republic, as a result of the event.
The Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) members were eventually identified by the Nigerian military as responsible for the attack.
According to reports, Turji’s gunmen killed a few security personnel during an ambush in the vicinity of Zamfara State’s Shinkafi Local Government Area in June 2025.
A military vehicle was allegedly set on fire by the attackers during the event, according to security analyst Bakatsine.
Bakatsine further asserted that Turji published a video depicting the killing of Bashari Maniya, a former bandit whom he suspected of working with security services after giving up illegal activity.
A video of Turji and his warriors celebrating the burning of two Nigerian Army Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles in Kwashabawa, Zurmi Local Government Area, Zamfara State, first appeared online in September 2024.
In the video, the bandits chanted victory slogans while showcasing the wrecked cars. Additionally, Turji was observed threatening security personnel and claiming that his group had taken military trucks.
Along the Kaura Namoda-Shinkafi Road in Zamfara State, alleged members of Turji’s group kidnapped ten passengers in January 2025 and burnt their car on fire.
The incident happened soon after the Defence Headquarters pronounced Turji to be “a dead man walking” and promised that he and other terror commanders would not live until 2025.
Turji’s reported threats regarding his brother Baka Wurgi’s ongoing incarceration by military officials were thought to be related to the incident.
While the commercial van was driving from Gusau to Shinkafi town, the gunmen allegedly ambushed it at Kwanar Jalab hamlet in Zungeru Ward of Shinkafi Local Government Area.
At least 28 communities in Sokoto State’s Isa Local Government Area have been abandoned as a result of ongoing attacks by armed groups, especially those who supported Turji, according to a Daily Trust story on January 13 of this year.
According to Daily Trust, residents of the impacted towns fled to Isa town, where many sought refuge in temporary camps for internally displaced people (IDPs) and a public school.
The displaced people claimed that regular attacks, kidnappings, extortion through unlawful levies, and serial killings had made life in their communities intolerable and forced them to leave their homes and means of subsistence.
A lawmaker criticises FG over Turji’s actions
Aminu Boza, a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly who represents Sabon Birni Local Government Area, has blasted the Federal Government for failing to take strong action against infamous bandit leader Bello Turji in spite of several reports regarding his actions.
Boza stated in an interview with Daily Trust that although the Sokoto State Government frequently reacts when security issues are raised, the Federal Government has not taken sufficient action to counter the threat posed by Turji and his fighters.
He claimed that despite numerous complaints and warnings to security authorities, Turji’s loyalists continue to operate freely in some communities, causing inhabitants to live in fear.
I’ve talked about this a lot, yet nothing has changed. Turji’s boys are still in Gangara village.
They are allegedly in charge of community affairs and decision-making. They haven’t been attacked in years, and nothing has changed,” he said.
The legislator claimed to have studied the community watch model implemented in Katsina State, which he claimed helped develop the Sokoto State Community Guard, as part of his attempts to improve local security arrangements.
Boza also questioned why, in spite of the use of contemporary security equipment and military resources, security agencies had failed to apprehend Turji.
Bello Turji has been operating freely for years despite our powerful weapons and fighter jets. He has yet to be taken into custody despite appearing in recordings with hundreds of armed supporters, he claimed.
In order to put an end to the operations of bandit groups operating in communities throughout Sokoto and surrounding states, he urged security authorities to take more forceful and coordinated action.
Two police officers and bandits were slain in the Sokoto neighbourhood.
Following an unsuccessful raid on Tureta town in the Tureta Local Government Area of Sokoto State, many bandits and two police officers were reportedly murdered on Sunday.
Sources claim that as many locals were participating in the Zuhr prayer in mosques throughout the town at around 2:00 pm, armed assailants stormed the neighbourhood.
With the help of members of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), security personnel from the Police Anti-Kidnapping Unit successfully resisted the onslaught, forcing the bandits to flee and abandon some of their possessions, including cattle.
According to sources, the security personnel chased the escaping assailants to a nearby village. But according to reports, the officers entered an ambush that the robbers had set up, which resulted in a bloody gunfight.
Before learning of the police casualties during the chase operation, the community had originally rejoiced over the town’s successful defence, according to a local community leader who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Because of the police’s heroic attempts to repel the attack on our town, we were in a festive mood.
But when we learned that the officers had been ambushed while pursuing the bandits, our attitude shifted. He claimed that one officer was murdered instantly and another, who was gravely hurt, passed away after being transported to Sokoto.
A military formation stationed in the town seemed to be inactive, which worried him.
“We have a military formation in Tureta, but because it doesn’t react to threats, we don’t understand its role.” Turetac might have been overtaken by the robbers who arrived in larger Numberson motorcycles if it weren’t for the police officers.
Calls to DSP Ahmad Rufa’i, the spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, were not returned at the time this report was filed, thus attempts to get his remarks were futile.
Nonetheless, the incident and the deaths of two officers during the ambush were verified by a senior police official with knowledge of the operation.
The officer stated, “The bandits tried to attack Tureta town, but our men successfully repelled them.”
“The attackers were estimated to be about 300 in number and were heavily armed with automatic weapons,” he continued.
He clarified that following the abortive attempt, some officers pursued the bandits as they headed toward another area.
Some of the bandits had stayed behind and set up an ambush, but our guys were unaware of this. A gunfight ensued. Unfortunately, we lost two of our commanders despite inflicting significant casualties on the bandits. The officer said, “Their bodies are currently being transported to Sokoto.”
As at the time this story was filed, it was not possible to independently confirm the precise number of bandit casualties.
About The Author
