- Turji’s group surrendered arms in three phases and allowed Shinkafi residents return to their farms across the river.
- Some abducted women gave birth in captivity, while others endured hardships, including snake bites, before their release.
Terrorist kingpin, Bello Turji, has released 32 abducted persons and agreed to halt attacks on farmers in Zamfara State.
Turji took the decision following a series of meetings with Islamic clerics who visited his camp in the Fakai forest.
According to PREMIUM TIMES, a cleric, Musa Yusuf, popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah, disclosed this on Monday during a religious gathering in Kaduna.
Yusuf said Turji also surrendered some of his arms to demonstrate commitment to the peace process in the Shinkafi axis.
He explained that residents of Shinkafi engaged his team to plead with Turji to allow them access their farmlands.
According to Yusuf, the meetings held thrice in July with Turji, Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa, and Malam Ila in attendance.
“The speculation that Dan Bakkolo was killed is not true,” Yusuf said.
“These people are the ones terrorising the axis, and they all agreed to the peace proposals, one of which is for them to surrender some of their arms to show commitment to the peace process,” he added.
Yusuf said the arms were surrendered in three phases at different times in the Fakai forest.
He noted that the bandits allowed Shinkafi residents to return to their farms across the river leading to Turji’s enclave.
“We agreed that the Fulanis must be allowed to go to town without being stereotyped or killed by vigilantes,” Yusuf said.
“He (Turji) also released 32 kidnapped captives as part of the peace agreement,” the cleric added.
Yusuf displayed a video showing some of the freed captives and the rough terrains they crossed to reach Turji’s camp.
He said the victims, including women and children, spent about four months in captivity.
He added that some women gave birth while in captivity, while one suffered a snake bite.
Yusuf said the peace deal has brought relative calm to Shinkafi, with locals now cultivating their farmlands without fear of abduction.
He said the clerics are still persuading Turji to embrace total peace, but they did not demand he surrenders all his weapons.
Yusuf explained that asking Turji to surrender all arms could expose him to attacks from rival groups opposed to peace.
He warned clerics criticising Turji on social media that their utterances could worsen the fragile peace efforts.
Yusuf admitted that the deal with Turji would not end terrorism in Zamfara but noted that his axis is currently peaceful.
The cleric commended President Bola Tinubu, the national security adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and Zamfara State governor, Dauda Lawal, for supporting dialogue.
He also praised Senator Shehu Buba for backing a non-kinetic approach in resolving the security challenges in Zamfara.
In October, Turji warned that peace would remain elusive if security forces and vigilantes continued attacks on Fulani communities.
“This is why we are calling on all of you to come and collaborate with us for peace to reign and stop the bloodbath in Zamfara.
“Guns and airstrikes will not stop us because we are not afraid of death,” Turji declared in a video.
Turji accused Governor Lawal and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of politicising the security crisis in Zamfara.
He said both politicians do not have the best interests of their people at heart.
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