New intelligence suggests that the notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, is significantly expanding his operational reach and capabilities. Bashir Altine Guyawa Isa, a leader of the Rundunar Adalchi vigilante group in Sokoto State, reported the following developments in an interview with the BBC Hausa Service:....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• • Strategic Alliances: Turji has allegedly partnered with Boko Haram to provide training and logistical support to his fighters, marking a shift toward more sophisticated criminal tactics.

  • Operational Training Base: Local security volunteers have identified a long-standing training camp near the Sokoto-Zamfara border. This facility is reportedly used for the recruitment, indoctrination, and arming of new combatants.

  • Expanding Targets: Intelligence indicates that these groups may be planning to move beyond rural attacks to target prominent individuals and high-profile government installations.

  Urgent Calls for Intervention

  The continued existence of this training camp is viewed as a major threat to regional stability, potentially undoing progress made by security forces. Isa emphasized several critical points regarding the current situation:

  • Known Risks: He claims that the relevant authorities are already aware of the facility’s existence and must act decisively to dismantle it before the situation worsens.

  • Need for Action: There is an urgent call for enhanced military intervention and intelligence-led operations to prevent further violence, kidnappings, and attacks across Sokoto, Zamfara, and neighboring states.

  • Preventive Measures: He warned that delay will only embolden these criminal networks, putting more communities at risk of terror.

A recent report from the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance, presented by its Sokoto State Coordinator, Basharu Altine, indicates that followers of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji are conducting military-style tactical training and weapons drills along the Sokoto-Zamfara border. The activities are reportedly occurring across a corridor spanning Bingabale Kudu, Bafarawa East, and Bargaja.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

• Leadership Involvement: The exercises allegedly feature key associates of Turji, specifically identifying his younger brother, Dodo, and an individual named Illa Manawa.

• Advanced Weaponry: Intelligence suggests the fighters are being trained on newly acquired, sophisticated arms—some of which have been used in recent clashes with security forces—and are also utilizing night-vision equipment.

• Strategic Expansion: Altine stated that fresh recruits with advanced combat expertise have arrived to bolster the group’s capabilities.

• Key Facilitators: Investigations have linked the procurement and transport of these weapons to bandit commanders Haru Dole and Ibrahim Chimo, who are reportedly forming a growing alliance with Turji.

• Security Threats: Concerns have been raised regarding potential coordinated attacks on local government headquarters in eastern Sokoto before the height of the rainy season.

Altine has urged security agencies to take immediate, proactive steps to investigate these claims and protect local communities. Additionally, security analyst Zagazola Makama recently reported that two of Turji’s brothers have been actively involved in violent operations throughout the Sokoto and Zamfara regions.

Ekiti State’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Bunmi Omoseyindemi, has announced that the collation of results for Saturday’s governorship election is scheduled to commence promptly at 10 pm. Speaking on Channels Television, Omoseyindemi confirmed that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is currently awaiting results from the state’s various local government areas and has finalized preparations for a seamless collation exercise.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Regarding the ongoing process of uploading polling unit results to the INEC Result Viewing Portal, Omoseyindemi addressed public concerns about delays, citing network challenges in certain remote and mountainous regions of Ekiti as the primary cause. He reassured stakeholders that all remaining results will be uploaded as soon as officials move to locations with reliable network access.

As of 9:30 pm, INEC had successfully uploaded 2,128 out of the anticipated 2,445 results, accounting for approximately 83.07 per cent of the total. Voting concluded in most units by 3 pm, with subsequent sorting and counting taking place across all 16 local government areas.