The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, has gone into a state of panic because of the renewed military onslaught on terrorists in the North-West......See Full Story>>.....See Full Story>>
The CDS disclosed this during a sideline interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the latter’s maiden Annual International Lecture in Abuja on Thursday, October 3, 2024.
In recent weeks, troops of the Nigerian military have dealt some fatal blows on bandits and terrorists troubling states in the North-West region, killing some top commanders.
Among those killed was the dreaded Halilu Buzu, who is regarded as a mentor to Turji, and commanders within his network.
Musa said Buzu’s killing has sent shivers down Turji’s spines and his gang is now in disarray as evident in their latest actions.
“You can see from the action that he is taking, you will know that he is in a state of panic.
“He used to be emboldened to go and talk and talk as if he is the only one in charge.
“Now he knows he is not in charge. He knows it is a matter of time because Halilu Buzu who was killed was his master.
“So now that he knows his commander is gone, he knows he is next and so all that he is doing now is mere noise-making,” the CDS said.
Musa says Bello Turji has crossed the line
Musa said Turji had already crossed the line, stressing that the military operations would intensify until many of the terrorists were eliminated.
He blamed the prevalent insecurity and criminality on poverty, illiteracy, and lack of good governance within the affected areas.
“So they have a large population of youths not doing anything.
“The more we take them out, more are joining them and then you remember, we have 1,500 kilometres border with the Niger Republic.
“We have another border with Benin Republic and so a lot of people filter in and out within Nigeria.
“So efforts are being made to ensure that we secure those borders to deny them the ability to move in,” he stated.