By Enai Omo
Notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, has confirmed that he participated in a series of peace meetings with the Zamfara State Government during the administration of former governor Bello Muhammad Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence, but firmly denied claims that he collected ₦30 million or received vehicles as part of the process.
In a viral video circulating online, Turji dismissed allegations made by Musa Kamarawa, a former peace mediator appointed by the Sokoto and Zamfara State governments, who had claimed that bandit leaders were paid large sums of money during negotiations aimed at ending banditry through non-kinetic means.
Turji acknowledged that peace engagements took place but insisted that the claims of financial inducement were false. He said neither he nor any Fulani leader acting on his behalf received ₦30 million or any other form of payment.
“By Allah, since I was born, I have never possessed even five million naira,” Turji said in the video. “What I am doing is not for personal gain. We were never given that ₦30 million you are talking about.”
Kamarawa had earlier alleged in a separate video that former governor Matawalle held meetings with bandits, including Turji, at the Government House in Gusau and distributed money and vehicles to them. He specifically claimed that Turji received ₦30 million during the peace process.
Responding to the allegation, Turji described Kamarawa’s account as false and misleading, stressing that the meetings were strictly aimed at reducing violence in Zamfara State and not for personal enrichment.
According to Turji, the peace talks were initiated to de-escalate killings and restore calm, adding that he did not benefit financially from the engagements. He accused Kamarawa of betraying the trust built during the negotiations and giving what he termed “false and mischievous testimony.”
“We agreed on peace when the Zamfara State government appointed you,” Turji said, addressing Kamarawa directly. “But what you are saying now is full of lies and deceit. I did not even receive three million naira.”
The bandit leader also accused former political leaders in Zamfara and Sokoto states of contributing to the insecurity that plagued the region long before Matawalle’s administration. He alleged that previous governments armed groups known as ‘Yan Banga’ and encouraged vigilante formations that, according to him, targeted Fulani communities.
Turji specifically mentioned former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, and former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, calling for their arrest and investigation.
“We say openly that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto, Bafarawa alongside Ahmed Sani Yerima, are responsible for the calamities that befell these states,” Turji claimed.
He sought to distance himself from political influence, insisting that he was not acting on behalf of any politician or interest group.
“We are not politicians, and we are not tools of politicians,” he said. “There is no human being backing us.”
Although Turji did not address any recent negotiations with the federal government, he framed his remarks as a personal defence, saying he was speaking “before Allah alone.”
Nigerian security agencies have repeatedly identified Bello Turji as one of the most dangerous armed group leaders operating in the North-West, with the military previously declaring him wanted over terror-related activities.
South South Times . 