- Notorious Bandit Leader Bello Turji Confirms Meeting With Matawalle, Denies ₦30m Payoff
- Bandit leader denies receiving alleged ₦30m payment
- Turji accuses former governors of fueling insecurity
Notorious bandit leader Bello Turji has confirmed that he held peace talks with officials of the Zamfara State government under the previous administration of Bello Matawalle, now Minister of State for Defence.
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EKO HOT BLOG reports that however, Turji denied claims that he was paid ₦30 million as part of the peace engagement with the state government.
His reaction followed allegations by Musa Muhammad Kamara, a former Special Assistant in the Matawalle administration, who claimed he personally handled cash payments and vehicles given to terror commanders during the talks.
In an audio message circulating online, Turji directly responded to the allegation, describing the claim of a ₦30 million payment as false.
He said, “By Allah, since I was born, I have never possessed even five million naira. What I am doing is not for personal gain. We were never given that ₦30 million you are talking about.”
Turji maintained that the engagement with Zamfara State officials was strictly part of a peace process and insisted that he did not benefit financially from it.
He accused Kamara of bearing false witness and betraying the trust built during the negotiations, saying, “I did not even receive three million naira.”
While denying the alleged payoff, the bandit leader accused former political leaders in the North West of being responsible for the insecurity in the region.
Turji alleged that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto states, alongside former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Sani Yerima, armed groups and encouraged the creation of vigilante outfits that targeted Fulani communities.
He said, “We say openly that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto, alongside Ahmed Sani Yerima, are responsible for the calamities that befell these states,” adding that they should be arrested and investigated.
Turji concluded by distancing himself and his group from political affiliations, insisting that they were not backed by any political figures.
He said, “We are not politicians, and we are not tools of politicians. There is no human being backing us.”
