Minister of Defence Mohammed Badaru has issued a strong directive to troops of Operation Hadarin Daji, ordering them to capture wanted terrorist leader Bello Turji.
Badaru’s orders come shortly after President Bola Tinubu made significant adjustments to his cabinet, retaining Badaru among 30 others.
Addressing soldiers at One Brigade Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State, Badaru praised their recent efforts, assuring them of President Tinubu’s support and ongoing attention to their work.
“He urged me to thank you and to urge you to do more to end insecurity in these areas of operation and the country,” he stated. “He is ready to provide all you need to end insecurity in the Northwest and Nigeria.”
Badaru further charged the troops, expressing confidence in their readiness to bring Turji to justice.
“I had some reassurances from the commanding officer and was pleased, sure that we would reach the goal. Are you ready to finish with them? Are you ready to end it? Please get me Turji.”
The minister’s directive follows recent comments by Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Christopher Musa, who, three weeks ago, declared Turji’s influence was diminishing amid intensified military pressure.
According to Musa, the continuous onslaught against terrorists in the Northwest has left Turji’s camp in a state of disarray.
“You can see from the action that he is taking, you will know that he is in a state of panic,” Musa remarked. “He used to be emboldened to go and talk as if he is the only one in charge. Now he knows he is not in charge. He knows it is a matter of time because Halilu Buzu that was killed was his master.”
The CDS also emphasized the role of poverty, illiteracy, and weak governance in sustaining insecurity, highlighting the need for coordinated border security efforts to curb the influx of militants.
“So they have a large population of youths not doing anything. The more we take them out, the more people are joining them… Efforts are being made to ensure that we secure those borders to deny them the ability to move in,” Musa explained.
