A newly surfaced photo has exposed Duna Sani, a feared commander in Bello Turji’s criminal network.
His violent record has renewed calls for security forces to end rampant banditry in the northwest.
A man recently captured in a widely shared photograph holding a rifle has been identified as “Duna Sani,” a senior commander in the criminal network of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji.
Security sources and local reports describe Sani as one of the most brutal figures within Turji’s ranks. He is accused of carrying out numerous killings, beheading women, and committing repeated acts of sexual violence in northwestern Nigeria.
Turji himself is alleged to have boasted in an audio message that his lieutenant could not go more than three days without taking a life. Such accounts have intensified fears in rural communities already living under the constant threat of bandit attacks.
For years, Turji’s gang and similar armed groups have been linked to mass kidnappings, raids on villages, and indiscriminate killings across Zamfara, Sokoto, and neighbouring states. Their operations have displaced thousands, destroyed livelihoods, and deepened the region’s humanitarian crisis.
The circulation of Sani’s image has renewed calls for decisive action from security agencies. Community leaders, civil society organisations, and human rights advocates are urging the government to bring Sani, Turji, and other top bandit leaders to justice, ending the cycle of violence that has plagued the region.
Authorities have not yet confirmed when or where the photograph of Sani was taken, but security analysts say such images are often intended to project power and instill fear among targeted populations.
