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The Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru, has ordered troops of Operation Fansar Yamma to arrest the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji.

The Minister gave the order while addressing the troops at the One Brigade Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State.

He added that President Bola Tinubu has the following the activities of the troops in the past few months and has seen some levels of improvement in the operation against terrorists in the region, but the challenges are still there.

“He, therefore, urged me to thank you and to urge you to do more to end insecurity in these areas of operation and the country. He is ready to provide all you need to end insecurity in the Northwest and Nigeria.”

“I had some reassurances from the commander officer and was pleased, sure that we would reach the goal. Are you ready to finish with them? Are ready to end it? Please get me Turji.”

The Minister of Defence, Mohammad Badaru, has ordered troops of Operation Fansar Yamma to arrest the notorious bandits’ leader, Bello Turji.

The Minister gave the order while addressing the troops at the One Brigade Headquarters in Gusau, Zamfara State on Thursday.

He added that President Bola Tinubu has the following the activities of the troops in the past few months and has seen some levels of improvement in the operation against terrorists in the region, but the challenges are still there.

“He, therefore, urged me to thank you and to urge you to do more to end insecurity in these areas of operation and the country. He is ready to provide all you need to end insecurity in the Northwest and Nigeria.”

“I had some reassurances from the commander officer and was pleased, sure that we would reach the goal. Are you ready to finish with them? Are ready to end it? Please get me Turji.”

Defence Minister visited the Operation Fansar Yamma in Gusau to take briefings on military operations.

The Minister was received by the Commander, Joint Taskforce Northwest Operation Fansar Yamma, Major General Oluyinka Soyele, the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mani Mumun,i among other dignitaries.

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says Oyelola Yisa Ashiru, deputy majority leader of the senate, is “bad-mouthing” it because drugs were allegedly found in his home.

Last week, Ashiru, senator representing Kwara south, said the agency is the “most corrupt and compromised government agency” in the country and there is a need to establish a new organisation to curb drug addiction and trafficking.

The senator was contributing to a debate on a bill seeking to establish an institute for drug awareness and rehabilitation.

During that debate, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano south, alleged that the homes of some politicians are being used to stockpile narcotics.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Monday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s director of media, said Ashiru’s outburst was because of his grouse with the agency.

“The personal house of the senator in GRA Ilorin, the capital of Kwara State, had been raided in recent past, where drugs and illicit substances were recovered while two of his aides: Ibrahim Mohammed and Muhammed Yahaya were arrested,” Babafemi said.

“Based on credible intelligence and surveillance which confirmed that the senators house was being used as a drug joint for drug dealers and users, the house was raided by our operatives at 1:30pm on February 4, 2024 during which the two aides were arrested, while a third suspect escaped arrest.

“So, going by this backstory, it is deductible that these encounters that the Agency has had with the senator, must have been responsible for his outburst, and unfortunately, false allegation, the type that nobody within and outside of government has ever levelled against NDLEA before.

“Suffice it to say that in the past three years, NDLEA has emerged as a regional leader among national drug law enforcement agencies. So, come to think about it, an agency so badmouthed by Senator Ashiru couldn’t have been attracting such international goodwill and commendation for being the “most corrupt government agency” in Nigeria.

“Against the background of our encounter with people linked to him, we are wont to believe that Senator Ashiru’s invectives against NDLEA were borne out of vendetta and not any opinion made in the public interest.”

The director said in the past three years, the NDLEA has made over 52,000 arrests and secured more than 9,000 convictions.

The Federal Government has inaugurated an independent investigative panel to probe allegations of corruption and gross violations of standard operating procedures within the Nigeria Correctional Service NCoS.

The Minister of Interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, inaugurated the committee on Monday in Abuja.

According to the minister, the committee must also look at the recent allegation that some correctional service personnel had provided an alternative accommodation for convicted cross-dresser, Idris Okuneye, also known as Bobrisky.

The panel, according to the minister, became necessary to sanitize the Service towards attaining transparency and accountability.

Recall that the Minister, who is also the Chairman of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire, and Immigration Services Board, CDCFIB, had suspended several officers overseeing the Maximum and Minimum Custodial Centres in Kirikiri, Lagos State, following allegations of misconduct involving Bobrisky.

Dr Tunji-Ojo noted the need for a holistic approach to unravel the issues being investigated, through empirical and fact-finding processes that will proffer lasting solutions to the challenges.

“We want to reform the correctional service. Your core responsibility is to investigate specific allegations of corruption, torture, and mistreatment of inmates by correctional officers, especially the immediate one on Bobrisky which I expect to be out in two weeks,” he said.

Headed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the Minister charged the committee to uphold justice without fear or favour to any party.

The minister said: “We will rely on your legal guidance to be sure that whatever we do is in line with the law of the land.

“We will rely on you to be able to come up with a way forward, as well as facts that would be made public to Nigerians.

“I want to say this very clearly, nobody will be shielded. Nobody, no matter how highly placed, will be shielded.”