In a surprising turn of events, notorious Zamfara terrorist kingpin, Bello Turji, has released 32 kidnapped victims — including women and children — after keeping them in captivity for nearly four months.
The release forms part of a newly brokered peace initiative facilitated by Islamic clerics, following a series of dialogues held in Turji’s remote hideout in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The development was publicly disclosed by a Kaduna-based cleric, Musa Yusuf, popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah, during a religious gathering.
According to him, the peace dialogue involved not only Turji but also other armed leaders in the region including Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa, and Malam Ila — all of whom pledged to cease hostilities and surrender parts of their arsenal.
“We met Mr Turji, Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa and Malam Ila… They all agreed to the peace proposals, one of which is the release of captives and surrender of arms,” Yusuf said.
He further explained that the arms were surrendered in three phases, allowing residents of Shinkafi to safely return to their farms across the forest, once considered too dangerous to access.
Yusuf, who shared video footage of the released captives navigating harsh terrains to reach safety, emphasized that as part of the peace deal, both farming communities and Fulani residents are to be allowed safe passage and protection from retaliation or vigilante justice.
