Christian clerics and activists have called for the immediate arrest of former Sokoto Governor Attahiru Bafarawa and ex-Zamfara Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima, citing bandit kingpin Bello Turji's accusations that their policies ignited Northwest insecurity. In a viral video, Turji claimed the duo seized and sold Fulani grazing reserves while arming vigilante groups like Yan Banga that targeted herder communities, sparking reprisals that evolved into rampant kidnappings and killings.
The clerics, led by Bishop Sunday Bawa and including Imam Sheikh Yusuf Sarki, dismissed Turji's criminal status but insisted his revelations demand impartial probes, warning of "smoke indicating fire" amid thousands dead and billions in ransoms since 2018. Banditry victims' families echoed the demand in a letter to President Tinubu, urging international oversight to end impunity and address land dispossession fueling the crisis.
Bafarawa rejected the claims, noting banditry was absent when he left office in 2007, while Yerima stayed silent as pressure mounts for accountability over vigilante actions blamed for ethnic tensions.