Notorious bandit leader, Bello Turji, has released about 100 captives as part of a renewed peace initiative in Zamfara State.

Security sources told Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency expert, that the release followed ongoing dialogue and confidence-building efforts led by community leaders under the North West Operation Safe Corridor peace process.

The victims, including men, women, and children, were handed over to local authorities and taken to a hospital for medical examination before being reunited with their families.

A source involved in the negotiations said the release was part of an agreement with Turji’s camp to embrace peace and end hostilities in affected communities.

According to the source, 36 people were initially released, followed by eight others, bringing the number to 46 before the remaining captives were freed, totaling over 100.

The source added that more releases are expected as discussions continue between Turji’s group and mediators.

Authorities said they are maintaining close surveillance to ensure the credibility of the peace process and prevent any group from exploiting it to regroup or rearm.

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Civil rights activist, Dele Farotimi, has slammed the Nigeria Police and the judiciary over their roles in restricting citizens from holding peaceful protests, describing the actions as evidence that Nigeria is merely pretending to be a democracy.

Farotimi stated this on Tuesday in an interview on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television monitored by DAILY POST.

He stated that in a true democracy, citizens do not require a police permit to protest, adding that the police are only to be informed so they can provide security.

“In a democracy, there should never be a need for a police permit before you may have a protest. The police were informed so that they would provide security.

“That a court would presume to curtail the right of citizens to protest peacefully in a democracy is even suggestive of the fact that we’re not in a democracy. We’re only mimicking and pretending to be in one,” he said.

His comment is coming following a protest by the #FreeNnamdiKanu protesters in Abuja on Monday.

It was reports that the protesters marched round the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, on Monday demanding the release of the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu.

According to Farotimi, it is completely unheard of for citizens in a democracy to need the permission of their paid employees, the police, before they can congregate peacefully.

He maintained that the judiciary has become an extension of the executive and no longer serves the cause of justice.

“I’m sorry to say our judiciary is unfit for purpose. It does exactly as it is told by the executive and does not serve the cause of justice. An order is only as useful as its lawfulness,” he added.

The activist said citizens who protest peacefully should not be criminalised, emphasising that only violent offenders should face arrest, recounting his own experience with a non-existent law, which he said exposed the dysfunction in the Nigerian legal system.

Source: dailypost.ng

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Civil rights activist Dele Farotimi has criticized the Nigerian Police and the judiciary for restricting citizens from holding peaceful protests, describing their actions as evidence that Nigeria is “mimicking democracy.”

Speaking on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Tuesday, Farotimi argued that in a true democracy, citizens should not need police permission to protest, adding that the police should only be informed to provide security.

“That a court would curtail the right of citizens to protest peacefully suggests we are not in a democracy. We’re only pretending to be,” he said.

His remarks followed Monday’s #FreeNnamdiKanu protest in Abuja, led by activist Omoyele Sowore. Protesters marched despite a court order and police warnings, chanting for the release of Nnamdi Kanu before being dispersed by teargas.

Farotimi also faulted the judiciary, saying it acts as an extension of the executive and no longer serves justice. He added that citizens who protest peacefully should not face criminal charges, arguing that only violent offenders should be arrested.

He cited his own experience with a court case filed under what he described as a “non-existent law,” highlighting flaws in Nigeria’s legal system. Farotimi further criticized the government’s handling of past protests, including the 2020 EndSARS movement, noting that police units were merely rebranded without meaningful reform.

Responding to the protest, police spokesman Benjamin Hundeyin said the use of teargas was necessary to protect critical infrastructure in Abuja and maintain law and order, in line with a court order restricting protests around Aso Rock and other sensitive locations.

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