Notorious Zamfara-based bandit, Bello Turji, has released 32 people he kidnapped, and agreed to stop attacking farmers following a peace deal with Islamic scholars in Fakai Forest, Shinkafi local government area of Zamfara state.
The Islamic scholar, Musa Yusuf, popularly known as Asadus-Sunnah, revealed this at a religious gathering in Kaduna, and sourced by Blueprint from his Facebook page.
Sheik Yusuf further said the Shinkafi community had requested his intervention to allow them return to their farms.
According to Sheikh Yusuf, the meeting took place three times in July, and Turji and other prominent fighters such as Dan Bakkolo, Black, Kanawa and Malam Ila, agreed to a peace agreement, including laying down arms and allowing farmers to return to their farms without fear.
Sheik Yusuf said the released kidnapped victims included women and children, who had been in Turji’s custody for about four months.
Some of them had given birth in the bush, while one was bitten by a snake.
He said since the agreement, peace had begun to return to the Shinkafi area, as residents went about their farming activities peacefully.
Yusuf warned fellow clerics criticising Turji on social media to desist, saying it could incite unrest.
He commended President Bola Tinubu, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Governor Dauda Lawal and Senator Shehu Buba for supporting moves towards resolving the security crisis in the state.
…Police arrest 211 kidnappers in Delta
Meanwhile, the Delta State Police Command has arrested about 211 suspects for various criminal offences ranging from kidnapping, cultism, internet fraud and money ritual activities.
Commissioner of Police Abaniwonda Olufemi stated this in Asaba, Delta state, while briefing journalists on the command’s breakthrough in curbing criminal activities in the state.
He also paraded three live tortoises allegedly used for fortification rituals by a criminal gang.
The extensive operation, which spanned the month of July 2025, he said, also led to the recovery of 18 firearms, 359 rounds of ammunition and cartridges, 378 laptops and mobile phones, as well as a total of ₦8.5 million suspected ransom money.
He said on July 30, a combined team of the Special Anti-kidnapping and Cybercrime Squad and the Nigerian Army from the 63 Brigade stormed a kidnappers’ hideout in Ogwashi-Ukwu forest.
According to him, the operation followed the abduction of two female students from a polytechnic in Asagba Ogwashi on July 23, 2025.
Olufemi said the team engaged the kidnappers in a fierce gun battle that left two suspects dead, while an AK-47 rifle, 39 live rounds of ammunition, and a bag containing ₦3.5 million believed to be ransom money were recovered from the scene.
He further said that the Police carried out a sting operation on July 27, where operatives arrested a notorious kidnapper identified as Chiadiji Collins, aka “Smooth,” aged 42.
“Acting on intelligence, police tracked him to his home in Ewulu community, Aniocha South council, where they recovered an AK-47 rifle and 40 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition.
“Further investigations led to the arrest of an accomplice, Ezechie Andrew, from whom two pump-action guns and two cartridges were seized. Both men are believed to be behind multiple abductions across Ogwashi-Uku and Isseluku,” he said.
…Suspected ritualists
The command also revealed that it uncovered a ritual syndicate allegedly led by one Owei Abebo, aka “Adusa.”
Acting on intelligence about a planned abduction of high-profile individuals in Sapele and Oghara, the CP-Special Assignment Team arrested a 35-year-old herbalist, Peter Benson, in Kwale.
Under interrogation, Benson led the police to Joseph Saniyo, 63, in Edo state, who was found with three live tortoises and other fetish items suspected to be used for ritual fortification.
“Subsequent arrests included the gang leader, Abebo, aged 42, and his associates, Ebi Maye, 41, and Happy Obegha, 39. The police recovered 247 rounds of SMG live ammunition from the suspects”, he stated.
…Internet fraud
On the suspected internet fraudsters, the CP said on July 21, a joint operation by the Police Command and the Nigerian Army led to the arrest of 184 suspected internet fraudsters during a raid at a residence in Post Housing Estate, Effurun.
Among the items seized were 273 laptops, 97 smartphones, an iPad, two Wi-Fi routers, and other electronic devices.
One of the key suspects arrested was 33-year-old Kelvin Odini.
Police said investigations were ongoing, with digital forensic analysis expected to unravel the scope of the syndicate’s operations.
Olufemi also said “separate raid on July 30, 2025 at Big Gate Campus 3, Abraka, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad arrested three suspected cultists: Benjamin Okwufulueze (21), Augustine Ifeanyi (22), and Iruma Japheth (27)”.
While emphasising the command’s commitment to making the state uninhabitable for criminals through proactive intelligence-driven strategies, the police boss said a locally made Beretta pistol with four live rounds was recovered along with cult paraphernalia, including a black cap with “Eiye” insignia and a battle axe.