Former Chairman of the Bandits Prosecution Committee Abdullahi Shinkafi has criticized the three visits made by an Islamic cleric to notorious bandit leader Bello Turji in July, arguing they undermine government security efforts and lack religious justification.
Speaking in an interview with Arise TV from 3:49, Shinkafi challenged both the Islamic basis for such negotiations and their impact on Nigeria’s security apparatus. “So, in accordance with Islamic teachings and tradition, in all the scriptures of the Holy Quran and the Hadith collections, there was no provision for going into peace dialogue with armed bandits or terrorists. There was no such thing. So, even the Islamic clerics visiting Bello Turji in his enclaves, Islamically, there was no such provision,” he stated.
Shinkafi argued that the cleric’s successful access to Turji’s hideout contradicts official statements about military operations against the bandit leader. “So, the clerics’ visit to the terrorist hideout is a serious failure on the part of the government. It destroys the power of the security apparatus in Nigeria. An Islamic cleric visited Bello Turji’s hideout three times last month, and the Chief of Defense Staff, on many occasions, has been making some speeches saying Bello Turji’s days are numbered, the Minister of Defense, Badaru, visited troops in Zamfara State. He declared that Bello Turji should be killed or should be brought alive. All these have collapsed,” he said.
The criticism follows widespread outrage after Islamic cleric Musa Yusuf, widely known as Asadus-Sunnah, announced that Bello Turji had released 32 kidnapped individuals following negotiations at his hideout.
The cleric claimed that Shinkafi residents had enlisted his team to appeal directly to Turji, requesting access to their farms located within forest areas under his control.
Yusuf revealed that the negotiations took place through three separate meetings conducted within the Fakai forest, highlighting the apparent ease of access to areas supposedly under military pressure.
