Religious leaders in northern Nigeria have called on President Bola Tinubu to order the arrest and prosecution of two former governors over alleged roles in the rise of banditry in the North-West.
The demand followed a recent video by notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, who blamed long-standing insecurity in the region on policies introduced during the administrations of former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Bafarawa, and former Zamfara State governor, Ahmed Sani Yerima.
In a statement released in Abuja, the Concerned Northern Inter-Faith Clergy for Peace said the claims raised serious national security concerns that must not be ignored.
The group urged the federal government to act swiftly in the interest of justice and regional stability.
The statement was jointly signed by Bishop Sunday Bawa, Imam Sheikh Yusuf Sarki, Bishop Pius Dauda, and other senior religious figures drawn from Islamic and Christian communities across the North.
According to the clerics, the two former governors allegedly laid the groundwork for today’s widespread banditry through policies that worsened ethnic divisions and armed violence.
They referred to Turji’s video, where he accused the ex-governors of taking over grazing reserves meant for herders and selling them off, while also empowering local vigilante groups known as Yan Banga.
The Yan Banga groups were accused of targeting Fulani communities across several states in the North-West. The clerics said this reportedly triggered cycles of violence, retaliation, and deep mistrust, which later evolved into organised banditry.
“Even though Turji is a confessed terrorist, we cannot ignore his words,” the clerics said. They added that the allegations highlighted unresolved issues around land ownership, marginalisation, and armed vigilantism, which allowed criminal groups to grow unchecked over the years.
The inter-faith group said families affected by years of killings and kidnappings have also submitted petitions to President Tinubu, demanding a full investigation into the claims raised in the video.
They described the situation in the North-West as a humanitarian disaster, noting that thousands of lives have been lost to attacks, with many more displaced from their homes.
Entire communities, they said, have been destroyed, while farming and local trade have collapsed, worsening poverty and hunger.
The clerics also criticised responses from Bafarawa and Yerima, describing their reactions as dismissive.
Both former governors had denied the allegations, insisting that banditry was not a major issue when they left office in 2007 and questioning why the accusations were only surfacing now.
Rejecting those explanations, the religious leaders appealed to President Tinubu to “immediately direct the arrest and prosecution” of the two former governors for “alleged acts that laid the foundations of this terror”.
They further called for an open and transparent investigation into the matter, stressing that accountability was necessary to restore public trust.
Beyond arrests, the group urged the federal government to tackle deeper causes of insecurity, including land disputes, poverty, youth unemployment, and the proliferation of arms.
The clerics said lasting peace in the North-West would only be achieved through justice, reconciliation, and sincere efforts to heal long-standing grievances.
