Notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, has denied receiving money or vehicles during peace talks with the Zamfara State Government.
In a video that has made the rounds on social media, the wanted bandit claimed since he was born, he has never handledN5 million. According to him, his activities as a bandit is not for personal gains.
The bandit made the video while responding to allegations by Musa Kamarawa, a former peace mediator appointed by the Sokoto and Zamfara state governments to facilitate dialogue with armed groups in the North-West.
Kamarawa had alleged that Turji received N30 million during several meetings with the former governor of Zamfara State, Bello Muhammad Matawalle who is now Minister of State for Defence at the Government House in Gusau. Vehicles were also reportedly distributed.
In the viral video, Turji while denying the claim, said
“By Allah, since I was born, I have never possessed even N5m. What I am doing is not for personal gain. We were never given the N30m you are talking about.”
He accused Kamarawa of betraying the trust established during negotiations and giving what he described as “false and mischievous testimony.”
“We agreed on peace when the Zamfara State government appointed you. But what you are saying now is full of lies and deceit. I did not even receive N3m” he said
Turji also sought to distance himself from political influence, claiming he was not acting on behalf of any politician or interest group.
“We are not politicians, and we are not tools of politicians. There is no human being backing us.”he said