₦airaland Forum

The Zamfara State Government says Monday’s coordinated security operation against a notorious bandit was a major breakthrough in the ongoing battle against armed gangs terrorizing the region.

This was revealed by Alhaji Ahmad Manga, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Dauda Lawal, who described the confrontation as a strategic step forward, according to Hausa service of the BBC on Thursday.

“Alhamdulillah, he was finally tracked down right in his hideout — a place security agents had never reached before. He realized he was no longer untouchable,” Manga said.

According to him, security forces launched a heavy assault, inflicting significant losses on the gang.

“Several of his men were neutralized. Even he couldn’t count how many fighters he lost that day,” Manga added.

“Most of the corpses recovered after the operation were his fighters.”

One of the major casualties, Bashari Maniya — a once-feared bandit who reportedly repented and started assisting security agents — died after the vehicle he was in plunged into a deep ditch during the raid.

Manga clarified that contrary to speculations, Maniya wasn’t killed by enemy fire.

“It was a new vehicle, unfamiliar to the terrain. While speeding through the forest, they drove straight into a ditch that looked like a well. The vehicle flipped over and couldn’t be controlled. It wasn’t enemy gunfire that took him down,” he explained.

Maniya and the others in the vehicle were found unconscious when backup arrived.
The vehicle had bulletproof protection, so bullets couldn’t penetrate it, but the crash had already done the damage.

Ahmad Manga reaffirmed Governor Lawal’s commitment to pursuing bandit kingpin Bello Turji until he is brought to justice.

“By God, we won’t stop. The people of Zamfara, especially those from Shinkafi, know what Turji did for 14 years — the pain he caused. But this time, even he knows something has changed. This was the closest anyone has ever gotten to him — right inside his house,” Manga said.

He added that the state government plans to bring in additional military personnel to reinforce ongoing operations against Turji’s gang.

Reports also confirmed that during the confrontation on Monday, Turji went into hiding and later fled the scene to avoid being captured.

Lingering unrest grips Shinkafi in Zamfara State following a fierce confrontation between local vigilantes and the infamous bandit commander, Bello Turji. Despite a concerted effort to apprehend him, Turji escaped, leaving residents deeply frustrated and demoralized.

According to a report by Punch Newspaper quoted a local inhabitant, Sa’idu Garba, who blamed federal security units for arriving too late. Garba believes the outcome would have been different had the military or police intervened promptly during the height of the armed exchange near Cida community.

The operation, which erupted during the night and extended into the early dawn, saw members of the Zamfara Civilian Protection Guard join forces with Borno’s Civilian Joint Task Force. Their combined mission was to apprehend or eliminate Turji, a name long associated with violence and insecurity in the region.

The charge was led by Bashari Meniyo, a former gunman who had embraced peace and aligned himself with government-backed security efforts. Relying on intelligence, Meniyo directed the team to Turji’s suspected camp. However, he was fatally struck in the ensuing firefight, alongside more than 100 of Turji’s foot soldiers, according to firsthand accounts from the area.

Speaking with noticeable anguish, Garba lamented the missed opportunity to neutralize Turji due to what he called a “delayed response” by official forces.

“In those hours of intense gunfire, had the security teams arrived, the bandit chief wouldn’t have gotten away,” Garba said.

He noted that the shootout lasted several hours and that heavy gunfire could be heard reverberating through nearby villages. Yet, military reinforcements reportedly did not arrive until the battle had ended, allowing Turji to vanish into the rough landscape.


The fierce encounter triggered mass fear among nearby communities. Entire households fled with little warning, apprehensive that the bandits might regroup and retaliate after sustaining such significant losses.


Residents from villages like Cida, Kware, and neighboring hamlets remain shaken by the violence. Many are now calling for urgent relocation or for the deployment of a more permanent military presence, arguing that state-backed civilian forces should not be left alone to confront heavily armed criminal groups.

The Zamfara State Government has confirmed the incident but has yet to release comprehensive information on casualties or structural damage. Officials say a probe is ongoing to assess the death toll and examine why the attempt to apprehend Turji fell short.

In reaction to the botched operation, advocacy groups have urged a full review of how local vigilante teams and federal forces coordinate their actions. They warn that without synchronized planning and rapid support, determined fighters like Meniyo may continue to fall in the line of duty.

There is also mounting demand for military leadership to rethink how intelligence is interpreted and how troops are mobilized, especially in high-risk zones such as Zamfara.

Hear him speak: “Although Bello Turji narrowly escaped, over 100 of his people were killed during the gun battle.”

Shakau do pass you, he was eventually killed, your son was killed, your next. You can only run, you can't hide

fuckingAyaya:
Imagine American military telling Trump that they traced a terrorist to his hideout and neutralized some of his boy's but he narrowly escaped.

NB: on their own soil

zero8zero:
Whether on their soil or not, why did they fail and run away in Afghanistan?

zero8zero:
“By God, we won’t stop. The people of Zamfara, especially those from Shinkafi, know what Turji did for 14 years — the pain he caused.

fuckingAyaya:
will you allow ur soldiers die en masse in guerilla warfare in a country that the citizens hide Talibans in their houses? If they start shooting the citizens u people will still scream genocide. Since the US left ask Afghanistan girl child how's life with them both educationally and general wellbeing.

zero8zero:
https://dailypost.ng/2025/06/26/we-wont-stop-until-we-get-him-zamfara-govt-celebrates-major-victory-against-turji/?

zero8zero:
https://dailypost.ng/2025/06/26/we-wont-stop-until-we-get-him-zamfara-govt-celebrates-major-victory-against-turji/?