Residents of several communities in eastern Sokoto State, particularly Tidibale, a small farming settlement in Isa Local Government Area, are fleeing their homes in large numbers following renewed threats from notorious bandit leader Bello Turji.
The fresh warnings, issued after months of relative silence from Turji, have sparked widespread fear and panic, prompting families to abandon their homes and farmlands. Many residents have reportedly escaped to Isa town, Gidan Hamisu, and neighbouring Shinkafi in Zamfara State in search of safety.
Local accounts suggest that Turji is seeking to reassert his influence after a lull in his activities, issuing threats of “severe consequences” against Tidibale and surrounding communities that have not aligned with him. The development has further worsened the already fragile security situation in Sokoto East, where rural areas remain highly vulnerable to violence.
Women, children, and the elderly are among those displaced, while farmers preparing for the upcoming planting season are now forced to stay in overcrowded homes of relatives or makeshift shelters, uncertain about when or if they can return. “We left everything behind; life is more important than crops,” one displaced resident told Vanguard. A viral video circulating online showed numerous vehicles transporting people and their belongings out of the affected villages.
The renewed threats come amid reports of a separate midnight attack in Otobi Akpa community, Otukpo Local Government Area of Benue State, where at least five people were killed, including a former councillor and the 2019 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Assembly candidate for the Otukpo-Akpa constituency, Mr. Igbabe Ochi.
Meanwhile, as part of broader efforts to tackle terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes, the United States government has supplied Nigeria with critical military equipment.
In contrast to the situation in Sokoto, several communities in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State such as Shinkafi town, Katuru, Jangeru, and Kanwa are reported to have entered into a truce with Bello Turji.