HumAngle
A terror group on Friday, July 16, 2021 raided six communities, abducted over 60 persons and displaced a yet-to-be-known number of persons in Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria.
Sources with knowledge of insecurity in the area disclosed that the terrorists were linked to the Gudde Turji, a notorious figure operating in Shinkafi, Zurmi axis of Zamfara, Isa in Sokoto states and parts of neighbouring Niger Republic.
HumAngle learnt that Turji, the leader of the terror group had issued a five-hour eviction notice to the affected communities to vacate their homes before 5 p.m. on Friday in ‘retaliation’ for the arrest of his father in Kano State.
Turji’s father, known as Namaraki, from Chida in Fakai area of Kurya ward in Shinkafi Local Government Area was reported to have migrated from his village to Kano, because of his displeasure with his son’s involvement in the violence often referred to locally as ‘banditry’.
Local sources say the father’s arrest was an aftermath of the recent attack on the convoy of the Kano State Governor, although the governor was not in the convoy during the incident.
HumAngle understands that thousands of people have been displaced and over 60 reported to have been abducted in the affected communities.
Some of the communities raided by the terrorists include Kurya, Kware, Gidan Achali, Shinkafi, and Badarawa.
Junaidu Halilu Badarawa, a resident of Badarawa ward in Shinkafi told HumAngle that Kurya and Kware wards have been under a total control of the terror group.
No official statement yet from the state government as of the time of filing this report.
In Feb., Ahmad Abubakar Gumi, an influential northern Islamic cleric based in Kaduna visited Turji as part of efforts to bring an end to the hostilities.
Photographs and videos of the engagement showed fighters with AK pattern rifles while Turji had a distinct looking rifle that appeared to be the Valmet M62, a Finnish assault rifle modelled after the AK assault rifle.
