Former governor of Sokoto, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa has denied claim by bandit leader Bello Turji that he is among the forces fuelling terrorism and banditry in the Northern part of the country.

The militant leader had taken to Facebook to accuse Bafarawa and another former Zamfara governor of being the oxygen behind the spiraling insecurity in the north but did not give details of their involvement in the atrocious acts now afflicting lives and property in that part of the country.

However, Bafarawa, who ruled Sokoto State between 1999 and 2007, told Vanguard in a telephone interview that he had never supported any form of violence or criminality against anyone or the state.

Alhaji Bafarawa, who expressed shock over the said claim by the bandit leader, told Vanguard in an interview that there was nothing like banditry or terrorism in Sokoto or Zamfara State when he left office in year 2007 and did not know anyone called Bello Turji.

The former governor, who founded the Democratic People’s Party and flew its presidential flag in the 2007 election, said that Turji must be day-dreaming by mentioning his name among terrorism sponsors in Nigeria and wondered why he should be involved in such action almost 20 years after leaving the office the governor.

Bafarawa said: “Where was Bello Turji when I was governor of Sokoto State and how old was he then? I had nothing to do with him and I still have nothing to do with him and his cohorts. What do I stand to benefit from banditry or terrorism at my age?

“It is shocking to me that a character like that is spewing pure lies against my name. He is just being used by some forces to lie from the pit of hell against me. I remain irrevocably committed to peace and stability of my state and Nigeria and can never venture into anything that can destabilize the society.

“It is absolute rubbish that Turji is talking about and I know that he is only trying to use my name to satisfy the interest of those goading him to make this unfounded claim against me,” the former presidential candidate said.

It will be recalled that Turji had in a viral video, which surfaced on Sunday, accused past political leadership in Zamfara and Sokoto states of laying the foundation for the region’s long-running insecurity.

The bandit specifically named the former Sokoto governor and his former Zamfara State counterpart as being behind the rising insecurity and called for their arrest and investigation.

“We openly say that former governors of Zamfara and Sokoto states are responsible for the calamities that befell these states,” Turji claimed. (Vanguard)

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