The Zamfara State Government has confirmed a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against armed bandits with killing of scores of fighters belonging to notorious armed bandit, Bello Turji.
Special Adviser on Security Matters to the State governor, Ahmad Manga who confirmed this to BBC Hausa service and monitored by LEADERSHIP on Thursday, insisted that the confrontation against Turji was strategic toward ending his excesses.
According to him, security forces launched a heavy assault, inflicting significant losses on the gang at their hideouts in Cida Forest, Shinkafi local government area of the state.
“We thank Almighty God, he (Turji) was finally tracked down right in his hideout, a place security agents had never reached before. He realised he was no longer untouchable,” Manga said.
“Several of his men were killed even though their numbers couldn’t be ascertained for now, but he has lost many of his fighters.”
“Most of the corpses recovered after the operation were his fighters’ major casualties. Bashari Maniya, a once-feared bandit who reportedly repented and started assisting security agents died, after the vehicle he was in plunged into a deep ditch during the raid.”
Manga clarified that contrary to the speculations of that Maniya was killed by the bandits, he said he was not killed by enemy fire.
“It was a new vehicle, unfamiliar to the terrain. While speeding through the forest, they drove straight into a ditch that looked like a well. The vehicle flipped over and couldn’t be removed so easily,” Manga said.
He further explained that Maniya and the others in the vehicle were found unconscious when the backup arrived, stressing that “the vehicle had bulletproof protection, so bullets could not penetrate it, but the crash had already done the damage.
The Security Adviser reaffirmed Governor Dauda Lawal’s commitment to pursuing bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, until he is brought to justice.
“We won’t stop untill we bring Turji to the knees, the people of Zamfara, especially those from Shinkafi, know what Turji is doing for over 14 years where he is terrorising communities through his criminal activities,” he said.
Manga added that the state government plans to bring in additional military personnel to reinforce the ongoing operations against Turji’s gangs and all other terrorists.
