A former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa, has rejected comments by notorious bandit leader Bello Turji alleging that he is among the forces fuelling terrorism and banditry in the Northern region.
Turji, in a video posted on Facebook, accused Bafarawa and a former governor of Zamfara State of being the “oxygen” behind the worsening insecurity in the North. However, he did not provide specific details to support his claim.
In a telephone interview with Vanguard, the ex‑governor, who led Sokoto State from 1999 to 2007, dismissed the allegations and said he has never supported violence or criminality against any individual or the state.
“I had nothing to do with him and I still have nothing to do with him and his cohorts,” Bafarawa said. He expressed shock at being named by Turji and questioned the basis of the claim, given that he left office almost two decades ago.
“Where was Bello Turji when I was governor of Sokoto State and how old was he then? I had nothing to do with him and I still have nothing to do with him and his cohorts. What do I stand to benefit from banditry or terrorism at my age?” he asked.
Bafarawa also noted that there was neither banditry nor terrorism in Sokoto or neighbouring Zamfara State when he left office in 2007, adding that he did not even know anyone called Bello Turji at the time.
“It is shocking to me that a character like that is spewing pure lies against my name. He is just being used by some forces to lie from the pit of hell against me,” he said.
The former governor, who later founded the Democratic People’s Party and ran for president in 2007, reiterated his commitment to peace and stability in both Sokoto and Nigeria.
“I remain irrevocably committed to peace and stability of my state and Nigeria and can never venture into anything that can destabilise the society,” Bafarawa said.
He dismissed Turji’s allegations as “absolute rubbish,” suggesting that the bandit leader was being manipulated by unspecified forces to make the unfounded claims against him.
In the viral video that surfaced on Sunday, Turji accused past political leadership in Zamfara and Sokoto of laying the foundation for the region’s long‑running insecurity.
“We openly say that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto states are responsible for the calamities that befell these states,” Turji said, urging that they be arrested and investigated.