Suspicion As Northern Governors Poses With Associate Of Bandits’ Leader, Turji Raise (Photos)

Suspicion As Northern Governors Poses With Associate Of Bandits’ Leader, Turji Raise (Photos)

Some photographs taken in the recent past showing two governors and an associate of notorious bandits’ kingpin, Bello Turji, standing together have raised dusts.

In the picture with the suspect, Musa Kamarawa, who has confessed to working with Turji, are the governors of Zamfara and Sokoto, Bello Matawalle and Aminu Tambuwal, and the deputy governor of Sokoto, Mannir Dan Iyya.

Zamfara and Sokoto are two of the North-west states under attacks by bandits in which hundreds of people have been killed and thousands displaced.

According to Sahara Reporters, Kamarawa, nephew to former Governor Attahiru Bafarawa, was arrested by the police and detained in Abuja over links to bandits and their leaders.

Kamarawa was arrested in September 2021 but the video of his questioning by the police only appeared online a few weeks ago.

Under interrogation, Kamarawa said he had known Turji for long.

“Turji is my bosom friend, we are always in touch and we seek each other’s advice on our operations most of the time,” the suspect said.

He said the notorious bandits’ kingpin had over 100 armed guards around him and named those supplying Turji with shoes, military camouflage uniforms, drugs and other materials.

Kamarawa, who is from Isa local government area of Sokoto State, has extensive knowledge of communities and forests in Sokoto East and Zamfara North, especially villages bordering Shinkafi (in Zamfara) and Isa (in Sokoto).

Kamarawa was among those first contacted by Mr Matawalle after he was declared governor in 2019, to facilitate a peace accord with bandits, Premium Times reports.

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A source at the Zamfara Government House, who is also a Special Adviser to the governor, said Kamarawa was referred to by the governor when the peace accord was being initiated.

“Though Bello Turji didn’t accept the peace accord, there were a lot of bandits who turned in their guns and ammunition through Musa (Kamarawa).

“We didn’t know he had interest in them and was working for them because he was always advising us to expand our peace talks. You can attest to the fact that several weapons and bandits were here (Gusau) and we witnessed peace for some time,” said the official who requested not to be named because he did not have permission to speak to journalists.