For Abuja Network News
The news of terrorist warlord Bello Turji surrendering weapons and releasing 32 hostages has once again sparked a wave of reactions across the country — from cautious optimism in some quarters to deep suspicion among security analysts, vigilante groups, and conflict-weary communities in Zamfara and Sokoto States.
Turji’s so-called "peace move" came after Islamic clerics claimed to have brokered a truce with the notorious bandit kingpin inside Fakai forest. The released hostages, reportedly in captivity for nearly four months, included women and children—some of whom gave birth in the forest and bore the scars of inhumane treatment.
While the release of civilians is a welcome development, this is not the first time Nigerians are witnessing the Bello Turji script—a familiar pattern of surrender, disarmament promises, and temporary calm that is almost always followed by a return to bloodshed and terror.
Ceasefire or Strategic Retreat?
Let us be clear: Bello Turji is not surrendering because he has had a change of heart. He is surrendering because he is losing.
On-the-ground sources confirm that the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF) and the formidable Yan Sakai vigilante group have, in recent weeks, made significant gains in decimating Turji’s armed cells in Zamfara and its border communities. His routes have been blocked, camps overrun, and fighters eliminated in covert and tactical offensives.
This so-called "peace initiative" is not a product of remorse, but a tactical retreat meant to give him a lifeline. The same lifeline he’s been handed before—under the guise of ceasefire—only to bounce back deadlier and more emboldened.
A History of Betrayal
Recall that in 2021, Bello Turji agreed to a peace deal mediated by religious leaders and traditional rulers in Zamfara. He announced a ceasefire and temporarily halted attacks. What followed?
- January 2022: Turji's gang massacred over 50 people in Sabon Birni and Goronyo LGAs of Sokoto.
- February 2022: He reportedly orchestrated the burning of dozens of villages in reprisal attacks.
- March 2022: Intelligence traced his group to the killing of security personnel and the ambush of military convoys in the Zamfara-Sokoto axis.
Each time he calls for peace, what follows is not reconciliation—but rearmament. Each truce ends with vigilante groups being told to disarm, opening the gates for his fighters to regroup and launch more devastating offensives.
If history is anything to go by, Turji's current ceasefire is merely the calm before another storm.
Is the Government Being Fooled—Or Complicit?
The federal government must answer one critical question: Is this “peace talk” initiative sanctioned, or is it being hijacked by religious sympathizers who romanticize Turji as a misunderstood figure?
Because what comes next is often government-backed disarmament of local vigilantes—the only credible force that has been standing up to the terrorists in ungoverned territories.
Once disarmed, Turji and his bandits return — more dangerous, better armed, and confident that the state is unwilling or unable to stop them.
This cycle must not repeat itself.
A Call to Action
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration must come out clean. Is this ceasefire part of a larger, structured counterterrorism initiative with checks, enforcement mechanisms, and timelines? Or is this yet another case of the state folding under pressure and giving terrorists breathing room?
The lives of millions in the North West depend on clear leadership and decisive action. The communities of Shinkafi, Zurmi, Sabon Birni, Isa, and Tsafe cannot afford another round of banditry masquerading as peace.
If Turji is truly ready for peace, let it be on the state's terms, not his. Let it include complete disarmament, arrest, prosecution, and reparations to his victims — not staged surrenders and media drama in the bush.
Until then, the Yan Sakai and Civilian JTF must be allowed to finish what they started. Anything less would be a betrayal of their sacrifice, and a dangerous gift to a man who has perfected the art of deception, bloodshed, and survival.
Nigeria deserves real peace — not the illusion of it.
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