Claims that notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji was killed during recent United States airstrikes in Sokoto have been described as false.
A security analyst and counter-insurgency expert, Zagozola Makama, stated in a report on Sunday that Turji is still alive and has relocated to a community close to the Niger Republic.
According to him: “Reports making the rounds that notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, was killed in a United States airstrike are false, Zagazola Makama’s fact-checking platform has confirmed.
“Findings by Zagazola Fact Check indicate that Turji is alive and currently taking refuge at Dubagale, north of Dan Adama village, in Sabon Birni in Sokoto located, about 25 kilometres from the border with the Niger Republic.
“The reports are entirely unfounded. Bello Turji was not killed in any airstrike. He is alive and has relocated to Dubagale, close to the Niger border.
“The viral claims were likely fueled by misinformation and recycled narratives surrounding intensified counter-banditry operations in parts of north-western Nigeria.”
Bello Turji, a long-wanted bandit leader operating mainly in Zamfara and neighbouring states, has been linked to several deadly attacks, mass abductions and the large-scale displacement of communities across the region.
Post A Comment: