Vicious War Between Fulani Bandit-terrorists and Hausa Militia Roils Zamfara State
By Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat
In the heart of the Sudan Savannah, a lush green maize farm stretched towards the horizon, its vibrant foliage swaying gently in the breeze.
Nigeria’s most wanted Bandit
The sun cast a warm glow over the landscape, illuminating the delicate leaves and rustling stalks.
In this setting, Nigeria’s most wanted bandit, Bello Turji, stood flanked by two co-criminals each carrying light submachine guns slung casually over their shoulders.
The notorious terror kingpin stood confidently before the camera, in a show of bravado, he offered peace or war between his ethnic Fulani group, believed to be 9 million strong and the Hausa indigenous people of Nigeria’s northern region, with a population of 71 million. Conflict between Fulani herders and Hausa farmers and miners can be traced to Fulani raids on mining camps in Zamfara in 2012 and the subsequent formation of a Hausa self-defense militia called Yansakai, according to Prof. Murtala Rufa’i, author of I Am A Bandit. In the years following, the bandit gangs led by Fulani warlords have swelled in number and wealth across Nigeria’s Middle Belt due to their dominance in the kidnap-for-ransom industry and extortion of small plot farmers, TruthNigeria has learned.
Bello Turji, who was born and raised in Fakai village, in bandit’s ravaged Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria, is thought to be in his mid-thirties. He has been branded as Nigeria’s most wanted bandit.
In 2022, Bello Turji was second on the list of the most wanted terrorists list with a bounty of $3,500 dollars (context note: in 2022 $20 dollars was the monthly minimum wage in Nigeria.)
Call for reconciliation Between Two Northern Tribes
The video which started trending Thursday, Sept. 5, is believed to have been shot from his numerous hideouts in Zurmi County, of Zamfara State.
The bandit leader defined the conflict not as a clash between his gang and the authorities of Nigeria, but as one between the two largest ethnic groups in Nigeria: Hausa and Fulani.
“My dear Fulani brethren and Hausa people,” he began.
“I, Bello Turji, am calling on you to end the violence and bloodshed between our communities.”
“This conflict is unwinnable and will only lead to further suffering and loss of lives.”
Turji explained that his group took up arms in self-defense after Fulani people were targeted and killed.
“But I now realize that this path only leads to more bloodshed and suffering,” he said.
He urged both groups to put aside their differences and work towards peace.
“Let us involve our community and religious leaders in reconciliatory moves,” he suggested.
Ready for unending war and death
However, Turji also issued a dire warning to the Federal Government and the Hausa ethnic group:
“If the killing of Fulani people does not stop, we will continue to fight.”
“Do not think that we Fulani’s are afraid of dying; if we were, we wouldn’t have taken up arms.”
He further warned that continued killings of Fulani’s would lead to retaliation and potentially attract Fulani’s from neighboring countries to join the fight.
“Do not think that you can exterminate Fulani’s from Nigeria and then live freely.”
“I warn you, Fulani’s from other countries would troop into Nigeria in defense of us.”
Despite the ultimatum, Turji offered a glimmer of hope:
“But I implore you, let us choose the path of peace and dialogue.”
“Let us work together.”
Outraged Response to the video
Bello Turji’s message for peace and threat of endless war has sparked widespread outrage across Nigeria, particularly in the northern region.
Comrade Abdul Bako Usman, National President of the Committee for the Defense of Democracy, voiced his indignation:
“I wonder why the Nigerian Army has not taken him out.”
Usman criticized Turji for rejecting previous opportunities for peace, including an amnesty offer from then-governor of Zamfara, Bello Matawalle, in 2022.
“Turji and other terrorists had their chances. He was offered an olive branch and asked to embrace the amnesty, but he rejected it and continued his activities,” Usman told Truthnigeria.
Retired Navy Captain Umar Bakori, a military analyst and security expert, also shared his insights with Truthnigeria, stating that Bello Turji’s time is running out.
Turji’s recent attacks on the Nigerian military, including the burning of a captured armored personnel carrier, have sealed his fate.
“Turji knows that the war is unwinnable for him, both the military and federal government have the resources to outlast him,” Captain Bakori explained.
“His relentless attacks on the military and civilians have marked him out for eventual elimination.”
“He will likely meet the same end as Dogo Gide, a notorious terrorist who was neutralized by the military.” (TruthNigeria cannot confirm the death of Dogo Gide, but some sources say he died from wounds on March 14, 2024.)
Conflicts Between Hausas and Fulani’s
The video by Turji has highlighted increasing tensions between the Fulani and Hausa communities in Nigeria’s majority-Muslim Hausa States. However, received understanding is that the Hausa and Fulani people have coexisted and for over two centuries.
At the heart of the crisis is a historical dispute over land ownership, cattle theft, and sectarian differences between the absolutist, intolerant Islamist belief system widely popular among Fulani people and with the more tolerant theological traditions of indigenous Hausa people in Northern Nigeria.
Ibrahim Magaji Dosara, former commissioner of information in Zamfara State, traces the tensions back to 2013, when a Fulani leader, Alhaji Ishe, was killed by the Yansakai, a Hausa group.
This incident, according to Vanguard News analyst Ibrahim Hassan Wuyo, triggered a cycle of retaliatory attacks and counterattacks, resulting in thousands of lives lost and more than 100,000 people displaced.
The conflict has escalated into a full-blown war, with the Fulani establishing more than 100 camps across Zamfara State, each housing at least 300 bandits and possessing sophisticated weaponry.
Centuries old bonding fractured by mistrust
Comrade Abdul Bako Usman offers a nuanced perspective: “For centuries, these two groups had coexisted, their identities intertwined by religious and historical tapestry.” However, he notes that kidnappings and banditry, mostly perpetrated by Fulani individuals against Hausa people, have sparked fear and mistrust.
Fulani outgunning Hausa
“In response, the Hausas formed the Yan Sakai security outfit (volunteer civilian guards of mainly Hausa) to curb Fulani kidnappings,” Bako Usman told TruthNigeria.
“But the Fulani’s retaliated by recruiting allies from neighboring countries, leading to a surge in violence,” he went on to say.
Bako warns, “It is made worse now that the Fulani’s are heavily armed, and their militias outnumber the Hausas.”
He tells Truthnigeria that only heavy power by the military and political commitment of the Federal Government will end the cycle of kidnappings and killings by the extremist Fulani’s.
Mike Odeh James and Luka Binniyat are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
