Bello Turji reportedly strikes Sokoto communities, force residents to flee (Video)
“Entire communities from Tidibale ward, Isa LGA of Sokoto State, have been forced to flee their homes and are now sheltering in Isa town as internally displaced persons.”
After rumours made the rounds that he had been killed in the December 25, 2025 airstrikes by the United States, notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, resurfaced by launching a series of coordinated attacks on several communities in Sokoto State, forcing the residents to flee for safety.
According to a security expert in the northern region, Dan Katsina, Turji and his men launched the attacks on Monday night beginning with a violent assault on Tidibale village in Isa Local Government Area, before moving to other communities where he forced the people to evacuate the communities.
In a video footage shared online on Tuesday January 13, 2026 hundreds of terrified residents were seen fleeing their homes in overloaded vehicles and on foot along dusty rural roads, carrying whatever belongings they could salvage.
Writing alongside the video, Dan Katsina said the brazen attacks by Turji came after he vowed to take control of the communities.
“During the raid late last night, Turji’s armed terrorists reportedly stormed the community, firing indiscriminately before issuing a chilling 24-hour ultimatum: evacuate immediately or face further deadly consequences,” the security expert said.
“The attack on Tidibale follows a similar strike just days earlier on nearby Bargaja village, also in Isa LGA, where Turji’s group killed at least three people in a late-night incursion.
“Entire communities from Tidibale ward, Isa LGA of Sokoto State, have been forced to flee their homes and are now sheltering in Isa town as internally displaced persons.
“Families are sleeping in the open fields, children are hungry and mothers don’t know if they will ever return home. How long will these people be forced to live like this while the world watches in silence? Who will be held accountable for the destruction of their lives?” he asked.
Turji has been a long-standing terrorist leader operating primarily in the Zamfara-Sokoto axis since the mid-2010s and has built a reputation for extreme brutality, including mass killings, abductions for ransom, extortion, and forced displacement of communities.
Despite repeated promises by military authorities to eliminate him including invading his hideouts and killing of his close allies, Turji has continued to evade capture and continues to command hundreds of fighters.
