Villagers tori how thousands turn refugees, communities become ghost town as notorious bandit Bello Turji give dem eviction notice for Sokoto

BBC News

13-05-2025

Pipo from several villages for Isa Local Government area for Sokoto State, northern Nigeria, don leave dia homes after dem say notorious bandit leader tell dem to comot witin few days or im go attack.
Di bandits tell dem to comot afta dem attack some villages for di local government on Saturday.
Di villages wey di bandits attack and sack for dia communities na Sududdubu, Galadima, Tsulawa, and Bafarawa, wey be village of former oGvnor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa.
Reports say fear make some pipo for di communities comot go inside main town for Isa local goment for Sokoto, while odas run go Shinkafi local goment for Zamfara state as refugees.
According to one Bashir Altine, wey dey live around Isa local goment area, e tok say di bandits attack na revenge for recent army attacks on bandits for di area.
"Bello Turji and im boys dey in control of Sabon Birni and Isa local goments, and dem don dey terrorise dat area for years."
"I fit tell you say more dan 30 villages don become ghost communities sake of di fear for dia lives," Altine tok.
E add say, "na di bandits demself come direct to those villages come tell dem say make dem comot."
Anoda resident for one of di villages tell BBC Pidgin say na Bello Turji pipo come dia village dey collect anytin wey get value and tell dem say make dem comot before dem come back.
'Afta soldiers comot, Bello Turji pipo come our village dey collect anytin wey get value from our hand. And dem tell us say make we comot if we wan live.'
E add say, 'Di bandits kill seven to eight pipo during dia attack, while 20 odas bin injure.'
"We don already tell di authority our situation sake of say we no get any security personnel for our village."
According to di pipo wey comot from dia villages, dem tok say dem don dey live in fear for di past years becos of plenty attacks from bandits for dia region for Sokoto State, northern Nigeria.
Police tok-tok persin for Sokoto, Rufa'i Ahmad, tell BBC Pidgin say di police no receive any official complaints from dat area, but e tok say deployment dey for di area.
"Regarding dia mata, we never receive any official complaints from di pipo for dat area," Ahmad tok.
But e add say since last week, Thursday and Friday, deployment don dey for dat area.
Ahmad add say, "Since before dis incident wey pipo dey tok, deployment don already dey dat area. Sometin new fit happun wey we no know, dat na why e dey very important for residents to update us on wetin dey happun for dia areas."
"As I dey now, we dey work and collaborate wit oda security personal to tackle insecurity kasala for dat region"
E urge pipo for areas wey dey experience insecurity to dey update security pipo with informant so dem fit help dem well.