*’By Allah, I Have Never Possessed Even N5m In My Life’
“We say openly that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto, alongside Ahmed Sani Yerima, are responsible for the calamities that befell these states.”
These are the words of notorious terrorist, Bello Turji, whose long-running spree of serial bloodletting, large-scale human disappearances, maiming, abductions, ransom taking, community shutdowns and takeovers, illegal tax collection and other crimes, have literally laid prostrate many parts of Nigeria’s North-West states.
The past governors include Bello Matawalle,who is current Minister of State for Defence, under fire over allegations of past links to terrorists -a claim he denied – even as Turji’s comments have now thrown up fresh perspectives to the controversy.
Calling for the investigation and arrest of the former governors, Turji further fingered some unidentified former political leaders in Zamfara and Sokoto states for allegedly fuelling violence in the North-West, pointing out that they allegedly armed groups and spurred the birth of vigilantes that targeted Fulani communities. Turji is Fulani.
For the sake of peace, Turji said, he held talks with officials of the Zamfara State government of Matawalle,but rejected claims of being paid ₦30 million as an aspect of the initiative.
The terrorist kingpin spoke in an audio message circulated online.
Dismissing allegations by a former peace mediator appointed by the Zamfara State government, Musa Kamara, pertaining to the N30 million, Turji waved off the claim as “a lie,” swearing in the name of Allah that he (Turji) had never even personally owned the bulk sum of N5 million in his life.
He said: ”By Allah, since I was born, I have never possessed even N5 million.
“What I am doing is not for personal gain. We were never given that ₦30 million you are talking about.”
Giving his own version of what happened, Turji said the meeting with state officials was part of a peace initiative, vowing that he did not personally benefit financially from the deal.
Kamara’s revelation, he insisted, was blatant falsehood, accusing the mediator of betraying the trust established during the talks.
“We agreed on peace when the Zamfara State government appointed you. But what you are saying now is full of lies. I did not even receive N3 million,” he claimed.
Rationalizing his resort to his present mode of operations, which earned him a top place on the Nigerian military’s wanted list, Turji explained that they are in response to insecurity and alleged injustice, insisting that he was not acting on behalf of any political persuasion as he does not belong to any political party nor is affiliated to any.
His words: “We are not politicians, and we are not tools of politicians. There is no human being backing us.”
He said he is answerable “before Allah alone.”
*PHOTO CAPTION: Turji.
