Thousands of villagers in the eastern part of Sokoto State are currently deserting their ancestral homes following a chilling ultimatum issued by the notorious bandit kingpin, Bello Turji.
The mass exodus, which has hit the agrarian community of Tidibale in Isa Local Government Area the hardest, comes as families choose survival over their livelihoods and ripening harvests.
The panic was ignited by a fresh warning from Turji, who has reportedly resurfaced with renewed aggression after surviving a major military offensive in December.
Local residents say the bandit leader is attempting to re-establish his dominance in the region by threatening “dire consequences” for any community that refuses to align with his gang or reports their movements to security agencies.
The atmosphere in Sokoto East is currently thick with fear. Displaced families are streaming into Isa and Gidan Hamisu towns, while others have crossed the border into Shinkafi in neighbouring Zamfara State.
For many, the choice was simple: stay and risk a massacre or leave everything behind.
“We left everything behind; life is more important than crops,” one displaced resident lamented while trekking toward a safer zone.
While some communities in Shinkafi have reportedly entered a fragile “truce” with Turji to avoid bloodshed by promising not to confront the bandits, villages like Tidibale that have remained defiant are now paying a heavy price.
According to reports, Turji’s activities are now concentrated in Isa, Sabon Birni, Goronyo, Wurno, and Rabah—areas that have refused to sign any “peace deal” with the criminals.
This surge in northern banditry coincides with a significant move by the international community to bolster Nigeria’s internal security.
On Tuesday, the United States Government, through the U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), delivered critical military supplies to Nigerian forces in Abuja.
This delivery is intended to support ongoing counter-terrorism operations, following U.S.-led airstrikes on Christmas Day that targeted militant enclaves in Sokoto.