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Notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji
The Nigerian military has reiterated its commitment to eliminating the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, assuring Nigerians that he is being actively tracked and will soon be neutralised.
The Chief of Defence Operations, Major General Emeka Onumajuru, made this declaration on Monday during an interview on Channels TV’s The Morning Brief.
“First, I need to let you know that there is absolutely no forth and back between Bello Turji and the Armed Forces.
“As I speak, Bello Turji is hiding, completely in hiding, and the Armed Forces are tracking him. The Armed Forces continuously track him, and very soon, he will be eliminated,” Onumajuru stated.
He urged Nigerians to be patient, explaining that tracking and neutralising bandit leaders requires time due to the nature of their movements. However, he assured that Turji’s activities in the Northwest would soon come to an end as the military remained on his trail.
Onumajuru also responded to allegations by Sokoto State lawmaker, Aminu Almustapha Boza, that Turji is collecting taxes from residents of Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
He called on the affected residents to reject any such payments, assuring them of military protection.
He further advised residents to resist any form of extortion by bandits, stressing that military personnel are on the ground to ensure their safety.
“Talking about Bello Turji imposing fines, remember I did talk about protecting vulnerable communities. Now, the communities need to believe that the Armed Forces are protecting them, and when they believe that, it’s a question of calling anybody that asks you for protection money or ransom money bluff because the Armed Forces is there to protect you.
“So, I want to ask the communities now through your medium, do not accede to request for protection levy in whatever form because we have troops who guarantee farms security, who open space to go about your normal activities,” he said.
