Notorious bandit kingpin, Kachalla Bello Turji, has killed 11 farmers in Lugu town, Isa Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
Turji was said to have carried out the attack in the early hours of Tuesday, April 1, 2025, after hosting an elaborate Eid celebration in Magira, Isa LGA.
Security analyst, Bakatsine, who confirmed the development on Wednesday, said the bandit leader k!lled the victims for fun.
“Bandit leader Bello Turji hosted an Eid celebration in Magira, Isa LGA, with bandits from Zamfara State. After the feast, he moved to Fadamar Lugu in Isa LGA, Sokotos State, killing 12 people and injuring one person just for fun,” Bakatsine wrote.
A resident of Isa, Basharu Altine Giyawa, told Daily Trust that locals had received intelligence about Turji’s planned visit to the eastern part of Gatawa in Sabon Birni Local Government Area since Saturday.
He said the information was promptly relayed to the authorities for action.
“But yesterday, Turji and his men left his village, Fakai, in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, passed through some of our communities in Isa, held their Sallah celebration, and then k!lled 12 farmers on their way back to Fakai,” he said.
Giyawa blamed the killings on security operatives’ failure to act on the intelligence report.
Hon. Aminu Boza, a member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly from the area, acknowledged receiving the report but insisted that Turji did not visit any community in his area for Sallah.
“Yes, we were informed about Turji’s planned visit to the eastern part of Gatawa, and we acted swiftly. We went to Sabon Birni and took security measures to prevent it. That could be why he took out his anger on innocent farmers in Isa,” he said.
It was also gathered that Turji made a stop at Tozai village, where he k!lled the leader of the community’s vigilante group.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Sokoto State Police Command, ASP Ahmad Rufa’i, said only the military could confirm the attack, as they were the ones operating in the area.
The military had declared Turji wanted for terrorising communities in Zamfara, Sokoto and parts of Katsina states.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede, in February 2025, had vowed that the Nigerian military would soon eliminate the bandit kingpin.
Briefing journalists at the headquarters of Operation Fansan Yamma, in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, the army chief said the wanted terrorist has been on the run and should keep running.
“Bello Turji is on the run as we speak and for everywhere he goes, we follow him there. Let him keep running, it is just a matter of time before he would be removed from space,” the army chief had said.
Despite being pursued by the military, Turji continues his gruesome attacks on communities.
