A senior consultant and public affairs analyst, Abdulsalam Suleiman Izuagbe, has suggested that President Bola Tinubu can ensure that the Nigerian Army eliminates dreaded bandit leader, Turji Bello.

Izuagbe said the Nigerian troops will be propelled to eliminate Bello Turji if Tinubu promises them a double promotion.

His claims come amid the ongoing onslaught by troops of the Nigerian Army against Bello, banditry, and Boko Haram members in the Northeast

Speaking with DAILY POST, Izuagbe also warned the Nigerian Army against the possibility of negotiating with Bello Turji.

According to Izuagbe, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, should be released if the Nigerian troops opt to negotiate with Turji.

He said: “In Sokoto State, there are 32 border entries, and they take food away from Nigeria every day. The same thing is happening in Adamawa State; the same thing is happening at the Seme border. If the immigration system is not organized, Nigeria will be producing food, and there will not be enough for Nigerians to eat because one of the adverse effects of this Boko Haram is that they are blocking farmers from going to harvest.

“Somebody like Bello Turji has imposed levies on farmers in Zamfara State. In Niger State, there are five local governments paying levies while they are looking for Bello Turji in Zamfara and Sokoto States. He is no longer there; he has moved, and they should be able to follow him.

“They should be able to follow him. Let Tinubu take the decision that anybody who is able to capture Turji and his followers will get a double promotion in the Army, and in the next three weeks, you will hear that they have eliminated them. We hear that he is negotiating for settlement. How do you negotiate with a killer and a terrorist? Somebody who drinks the blood of infants is not the type of person to arrest.

“I hear the Chief of Defence Staff saying Turji is a dead man. That is rhetoric because you do not treat somebody like him with kid gloves. How can you treat Bello Turji as if he is a common criminal? He is a hardened criminal, and you cannot treat him with kid gloves. Tinubu should ensure that they capture him, and those who do should be given double promotions.

“He should be eliminated because he has killed more than he deserves. He is a killer and has never forgiven anybody. They killed the district head of Sabon Birni the other time because he didn’t come with a bag of money as expected.

“You don’t do such things and expect that they will negotiate with you. How do you arrest and charge him? If you can negotiate with Turji, then why are you keeping Nnamdi Kanu? Kanu has never slaughtered anybody to my knowledge, but those following him may have slaughtered people.

“If you are not going to release Kanu, why negotiate with Turji? Before you travel in the North, you have to pray more than three times because of these bad boys.”

daily post