Bello Turji, a wanted bandit leader long associated with mass killings, kidnappings and attacks on communities in Zamfara and neighbouring states, was allegedly seen on an APC membership card that surfaced online, raising serious questions about political complicity with violent non-state actors.
A fresh controversy has surfaced in Zamfara State following the circulation of an All Progressives Congress (APC) membership card bearing the name and photograph of notorious terrorists kingpin, Bello Turji.
Bello Turji, a wanted bandit leader long associated with mass killings, kidnappings and attacks on communities in Zamfara and neighbouring states, was allegedly seen on an APC membership card that surfaced online, raising serious questions about political complicity with violent non-state actors.
However, the Zamfara State chapter of the APC has swiftly denied any link to Turji, describing the membership card as fake, forged and a deliberate attempt by mischievous elements to tarnish the image of the ruling party.
Reacting to the development, the State APC Publicity Secretary, Malam Yusuf Idris, said the party had uncovered a doctored APC membership card allegedly edited to include the photograph of the infamous bandit leader, Bello Turji, and falsely present him as a registered party member.
Idris made this known in a statement issued in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, on Monday.
According to him, the alleged forgery was the handiwork of individuals bent on sabotaging the ongoing APC electronic registration exercise in the state.
“The party have come across a fake APC membership card in circulation, doctored to carry the edited photograph of the notorious bandits’ kingpin, Bello Turji, and falsely portraying him as a registered member of our great party,” Idris stated.
“This was carried out by mischievous elements who are not happy with the smooth, successful and coordinated manner the ongoing e-registration of members is going on in the state.”
He added that the forgery was so crude that even an ordinary person could easily detect the inconsistencies on the card.
“Even to the man on the street, the forgery is detectable right from the card, especially the emboldened ‘26’ on the date, which refers to the 26th day of January,” Idris said.
He further noted that the photograph used on the card was a widely circulated image of Bello Turji that is well known to security agencies and Nigerians, making the forgery obvious.
“Similarly, the photograph of the hardened criminal used on the card is his picture popularly known by both security agencies and Nigerians in general,” he added.
The APC spokesman also stressed that the party’s registration process is closely tied to Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) system, making it practically impossible for a wanted terrorist to be enrolled.
“No person can be duly registered without a NIN number, which Turji doesn’t have. This alone makes nonsense of the efforts of the mischief makers who failed to realise that APC programmes are mostly flawless,” Idris said.
He explained that before any individual is enrolled by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the person must fill out a form containing full personal details and undergo biometric capture.
“How then could NIMC capture him with military uniform and a gun on his shoulders? Or are they blind, or have they forgotten that such features are not acceptable?” he queried.
Idris further pointed out discrepancies in the alleged membership details, saying the identification code on the card did not align with Zamfara State’s registration records.
“From our records of today’s registration from Kware Ward, we did not have any ID number with the initial code ‘26’, which is for Niger State but was forged for a Zamfara membership card, talk less of the name,” he said.
According to him, Zamfara APC membership cards begin with the code ‘36’, not ‘26’, further exposing what he described as the ignorance of those behind the forgery.
However, the APC spokesman alleged that preliminary investigations had linked the fake card to one Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi, also known as Waziri, who he described as an associate of Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi.
Idris said Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi had recently been suspended from participating in the ongoing e-registration exercise due to what he termed “dubious attitude”.
“The forgery is linked to him because it first appeared on his Facebook page,” Idris alleged.
He said the party’s leadership in Zamfara had completely distanced itself from the fake card, which reportedly carries the registration number ID: APC 261113000102.
“Bottom line is that the APC e-registration coordination in Zamfara and indeed the state chapter of the party wish to completely debunk and distance themselves from the fake membership card,” he said.
Idris reiterated that the code starting with ‘26’ belongs to Niger State, not Zamfara, whose code begins with ‘36’, insisting that this alone clearly exposed the fraud.
He therefore called on members of the public to ignore the card and disregard claims linking the APC to Bello Turji.
“We call on well-meaning citizens to disregard the card while investigations into the fabricators are ongoing,” he said.
Idris disclosed that the matter had been formally reported to security agencies, expressing confidence that those responsible would be arrested and prosecuted.
“We have reported the forgery case to the security agencies and we are sure the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted soon,” he added.
The controversy comes amid growing public concern over allegations of political actors courting or shielding armed groups in Nigeria’s northwest, where banditry has continued to claim thousands of lives and displace entire communities.