By Muhammad Mamman
KADUNA—Bello Turji, a feared terrorism kingpin in Zamfara State, has released 32 kidnapped captives and relinquished a cache of weapons following intense negotiations with Islamic clerics.
According to the source, the peace agreement brokered in July, has brought a fragile peace to the troubled Shinkafi region, allowing farmers to return to their fields without fear of attack.
Speaking at the religious gathering in Kaduna on Monday, a prominent cleric known as Asadus-Sunnah(Musa Yusuf),disclosed that Shinkafi residents enlisted his team of clerics to engage Turji and his lieutenants—Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa, and Malam Ila—in a series of talks held in the Fakai forest.
Contrary to rumours, Dan Bakkolo remains alive and was present at the meetings.
“After three rounds of dialogue, Turji and his group agreed to our peace proposals, surrendering arms in three phases and granting farmers access to their lands across the river near Turji’s enclave,” Yusuf stated.
The cleric also confirmed that the deal included a commitment to stop targeting Fulani communities, ensuring they could visit towns without harassment from vigilante groups.
He said “As part of the agreement, Turji freed 32 hostages, including women and children, some of whom had endured four months in captivity.
“Among them were mothers who gave birth in the forest and one woman who survived a snakebite.
“Yusuf shared a video showing the freed captives navigating the treacherous terrain to reach safety.
Speaking further,he said since the deal, Shinkafi has enjoyed relative calm, with locals now cultivating their farmlands unhindered.
However, Yusuf cautioned that the peace remains delicate.
“We’re still persuading Turji for a lasting ceasefire, but we’ve avoided demanding he surrender all his weapons to protect him from rival groups opposed to peace,” he explained.
Yusuf urged clerics to refrain from inflammatory online attacks against Turji, warning that such actions could derail the fragile truce.
He noted that while the agreement won’t eliminate terrorism across Zamfara, it has brought significant relief to Turji’s area of influence.
The cleric praised President Bola Tinubu, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Zamfara Governor Dauda Lawal, and Senator Shehu Buba for endorsing a non-violent approach to the region’s security crisis.
Observers Times reported last year October that , Turji warned that peace would remain elusive unless attacks on Fulani communities ceased, accusing security forces and vigilantes of fuelling the conflict.
