The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) bombed a hideout of bandit warlord, Bello Turji, in Zamfara State on Saturday, targeting some of his loyalists.
Details of the incident were sketchy at the time of this report but Daily Trust gathered that some bandits were killed.
The bandits’ leader, who was said to be in one of his enclaves at Fakai forest in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara during the attack, was said to have fled.
Sources told journalists that many bandits were injured in the airstrike with unspecified others killed.
Unconfirmed reports had it that Turji was among those affected but a source said he escaped with some of his men.
The military has stepped up its offensive against bandits and insurgents in recent weeks, taking out non-state actors wreaking havoc across the country.
Turji, who controls a large gang, has been on the forefront of attacks in Zamfara and some other parts of the North West region.
In August, Alhaji Hassan Nasiha, Deputy Governor of Zamfara, had said Turji had repented and embraced peace talks.
Speaking during a conference organised by the Students Union of Medina University, Saudi Arabia, Nasiha said the bandit leader has abandoned criminality and had started going after unrepentant bandits.
“In the last three months, there has not been any bandits attack at Magami district as a result of the peace initiative with bandits.
“The state government through the peace committee entered into a peace deal with the bandits’ leader and he agreed to stop the criminality and to embrace peace.
“Turji is now killing unrepentant bandits who unleashed terror on innocent citizens in Shinkafi, Zurmi and Birnin Magaji local government areas,” he had said.
The military authorities are yet to give an official confirmation of the latest incident. Daily Trust
