In a significant development toward peace in Zamfara State, notorious bandit leader Bello Turji has surrendered part of his weapons and released 32 kidnapped victims following a series of dialogue sessions with Islamic clerics.
The breakthrough was disclosed on Monday in Kaduna by Musa Yusuf, a prominent Islamic cleric also known as Asadus-Sunnah, who led the mediation efforts. Speaking during a religious gathering, Yusuf revealed that the peace initiative was facilitated by concerned residents of Shinkafi Local Government Area, who reached out to his cleric team to intervene and negotiate access to farmlands that had been overrun by bandits.
According to Yusuf, three separate meetings were held with Turji and his lieutenants, including Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa, and Malam Ila, during July in the Fakai forest.
“The rumours about Dan Bakkolo being killed are false. All of them were present at the meetings and agreed to a peace proposal, which included releasing kidnapped victims and surrendering some of their weapons,” Yusuf stated.
He noted that the arms were surrendered in three phases, with the bandits also granting farmers access to their farmlands across the river that leads to Turji’s enclave. As part of the agreement, both parties agreed that Fulani herders must be allowed to enter towns without facing profiling or attacks from local vigilantes.
Hostages Freed After Four Months
Turji released 32 kidnapped persons, mostly women and children, who had spent around four months in captivity. Yusuf shared a video of the released hostages and described the difficult terrain that clerics had to traverse to reach Turji’s camp. He added that some of the women gave birth in captivity, while one victim suffered a snake bite.
Since the agreement, the Shinkafi axis has reportedly seen a reduction in attacks, allowing residents to return to farming activities without fear. However, Yusuf clarified that while peace has returned to Turji’s sphere of influence, other parts of Zamfara remain vulnerable.
He also stressed that the clerics did not ask Turji to surrender all of his weapons to avoid making him susceptible to attacks by rival gangs opposed to peace.
“Some clerics are attacking Turji online, but such comments could worsen the situation. Dialogue is still ongoing. Turji hasn’t agreed to full disarmament yet, but the relative peace in his area is a sign of progress,” Yusuf explained.
Support for Non-Violent Approach
Yusuf praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal, and Senator Shehu Buba for encouraging a non-kinetic approach to resolving the region’s security crisis.
Turji had previously expressed grievances over the alleged targeting of Fulani communities by security operatives and vigilantes. In a video released in October, he claimed peace would remain elusive in Zamfara unless security agencies stopped what he described as “attacks on innocent Fulanis.”
“Guns and airstrikes won’t stop us. We are not afraid of death,” Turji declared in the clip.
He also dismissed the political blame game between Governor Lawal and his predecessor, now Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, stating that neither leader had the people’s interests at heart.
While the state remains far from fully secure, the clerics’ engagement with Turji appears to be yielding tangible results in localized areas — offering a potential blueprint for broader peace-building efforts across the Northwest.
