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Thousands resident forced to give up their home in the northwest Nigeria A notorious gang leader issued a chilling order this week. this Displacement Officials and local residents confirmed on Wednesday that it was direct retaliation for the security raid.
Bello Turji, identified by authorities as a key figure in an armed group that has terrorized the predominantly Muslim northwest, is accused of masterminding the massive terror campaign. Violence. His gang, like many others in the region, kills and kidnaps residents, farmers, students and motorists, often for ransom.
The escalation of violence in Africa’s most populous country has drawn the attention of the US president Donald TrumpHe had previously accused the Nigerian government of failing to prevent the killings christian. However, Nigeria insists that both Christians and Muslims are being targeted gang and militantsdenying any systematic persecution of Christians.
Residents of the northwestern Tidibale community believe Turgi’s suspicion that their reports to security forces led to the recent military operation that resulted in the death of one of his men. According to reports, Turgi visited Tidibale three days ago in order to carry out revenge orders, resulting in the deaths of three people.
Basharu Altine Guyawa, coordinator of the Movement for Social Justice and Good Governance in Sokoto State, recounted Turgi’s stern warning: “He told them that if anyone stayed when he came back, they would be killed. He said he would not spare even a chicken.”
In addition to these armed groups, Islamist militants from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) and Boko Haram also operate in the area, where a 15-year insurgency continues to plague local communities. The United States just launched a strike against Islamic State militants in the northwest last month.
A Sokoto police spokesman confirmed residents were fleeing Didibale fearing attacks, prompting an increased police presence in the area. Local authorities are currently using trucks to evacuate people to Issa, about 50 kilometers away. Mohamed Ibrahim, secretary of the Issa Community Security Committee, said more than 3,000 people had been relocated, many of them in local schools.
“There is a humanitarian crisis. Educational activities have been stopped,” Ibrahim warned.
Tidibale is located approximately 100 kilometers east of the state capital Sokoto. Local activists have sounded the alarm saying dozens of villages have been abandoned as gang violence intensifies in northwest Nigeria.
Usman Musa, a father of 15 children who has sought asylum in Issa, lamented the situation: “The past three weeks have been terrible. Killings and kidnappings continue. The government ignores us. I hope they drive away these bandits.”
