Turji’s fresh threat empties villages, rekindles fear in Sokoto

By Musa Ubandawaki, Sokoto

Fear has returned to Tidibale, a small agrarian community in the eastern part of Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State, following a severe warning issued by notorious warlord Bello Turji, a name long associated with banditry in the Northwest.

Residents say the threat, delivered after months of relative silence from Turji, has triggered fresh panic, forcing families to abandon their homes and farmlands. Many have fled to Isa town, Gidan Hamisu town and neighbouring Shinkafi in Zamfara State, seeking safety from what they fear could be renewed violence.

Local accounts suggest that Turji is attempting to reassert relevance and recognition after a lull in his activities, warning of “dire consequences” for Tidibale and nearby settlements that have not aligned with him.

The warning has deepened an already fragile security situation in Sokoto East, where rural communities remain vulnerable. Women, children and the elderly are among those displaced.

Farmers who should be preparing for the next planting season now sleep in overcrowded homes of relatives or in makeshift shelters, uncertain when or if they can return.

“We left everything behind,” a displaced resident said quietly. “Life is more important than crops.”

In contrast, several communities in the Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State – Shinkafi town, Katuru, Jangeru and Kanwa – are reported to have entered into a truce with Turji. Under the arrangement, the villagers reportedly pledged not to confront or report his activities, a decision residents describe as a survival strategy rather than consent.

Altine Guyawa, a public commentator on banditry and kidnapping in Sokoto East, said the development has reshaped the geography of fear in the region.

According to him, Turji has now concentrated his activities in the Isa, Sabon Birni, Goronyo, Wurno and Rabah local government areas, communities that have not entered any truce with the warlord.

Guyawa noted that such threats often follow periods of silence, serving as a signal to remind communities and authorities of a bandit leader’s presence. “It is about relevance and control,” he said, warning that populations often pay the highest price.

Sources also allege that victims kidnapped by Turji’s lieutenants are ferried to forest camps around Shinkafi, where negotiations are conducted and ransoms demanded before release. The pattern, residents say, has become distressingly familiar across state boundaries.

The unfolding situation underscores the complex security challenge facing the Northwest, where informal truces, displacement and fear have become part of daily life for many rural Nigerians.

Analysts warn that such arrangements, while offering short-term relief to some communities, risk spreading insecurity to others.

As Tidibale empties and families scatter in search of safety, the episode raises urgent national questions about the protection of rural communities, the impact of state armed actors, and the need for coordinated responses that restore confidence and allow displaced citizens to return home without fear.

Efforts to reach the Sokoto police command Public relations officer Deputy Superintendent of Police Ahmed Rufa’e proved difficult, as he neither picked up calls nor replied to the text message sent to him by our correspondent.

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