Notorious terrorist leader Bello Turji has unleashed explosive accusations in a viral audio, claiming two former governors from Zamfara and Sokoto states, alongside ex-Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima, deliberately armed vigilante groups like 'Yan Banga to target Fulani herders, igniting the relentless banditry plaguing Nigeria's Northwest. In the December 13, 2025, message responding to peace talk exposes, Turji swore by Allah that these politicians bear full blame for the "calamities" devastating the region, demanding their immediate arrest and probe while admitting past negotiations with ex-Zamfara Governor Bello Matawalle's administration but vehemently denying any N30 million payoff or personal gains from the failed truce.
Turji portrayed his rampage as retaliation against alleged injustices, insisting neither he nor his gang acts as political proxies, and blasted mediator Musa Kamara for "lies" about financial inducements during Matawalle-era dialogues aimed at halting Zamfara violence. The claims echo cleric Sheik Ahmad Gumi's past allegations of elite sponsorship, with Turji naming Attahiru Bafarawa explicitly for stoking ethnic clashes that morphed into full-scale insurgency, rejecting any material benefits and vowing his fight stems from communal defense, not greed.
This brazen outburst, amid ongoing operations against Turji's lieutenants, intensifies scrutiny on past governors' roles in insecurity's roots, as Zamfara's current leadership faces counter-accusations of weaponizing convicts like Kamara against federal figures, underscoring how politicized vigilantism sowed seeds for bandit empires still ravaging communities years later.