A fresh wave of controversy has erupted in Zamfara State following the circulation of an All Progressives Congress (APC) membership card allegedly bearing the name and photograph of notorious bandit leader Bello Turji, a development that has triggered widespread public outrage and renewed concerns about political complicity in the country’s protracted insecurity crisis.
Bello Turji, a wanted bandit kingpin long associated with mass killings, kidnappings, cattle rustling and sustained attacks on rural communities across Zamfara and neighbouring states, was allegedly portrayed as a registered member of the ruling APC on a membership card that surfaced online over the weekend. The image, which quickly went viral on social media platforms, showed what appeared to be an APC membership card carrying Turji’s photograph and personal details, prompting sharp criticism and suspicion among Nigerians.
The emergence of the card raised serious questions about the relationship between political actors and violent non-state actors in Nigeria’s northwest, a region that has for years been ravaged by banditry, resulting in thousands of deaths, widespread displacement and the collapse of livelihoods.
However, the Zamfara State chapter of the APC has swiftly denied any link to the notorious bandit, describing the membership card as fake, forged and a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the ruling party and undermine its ongoing electronic membership registration exercise in the state.
Reacting to the development, the APC Publicity Secretary in Zamfara State, Malam Yusuf Idris, dismissed the circulating card as a crude fabrication, allegedly doctored by mischief makers determined to sabotage the party’s internal processes.
In a statement issued on Monday in Gusau, the Zamfara State capital, Idris said the party had uncovered what he described as a deliberately edited APC membership card, falsely designed to present Bello Turji as a registered member of the party.
“The party has come across a fake APC membership card in circulation, doctored to carry the edited photograph of the notorious bandits’ kingpin, Bello Turji, and falsely portraying him as a registered member of our great party,” Idris said.
According to him, the alleged forgery was orchestrated by individuals who were unhappy with the smooth, coordinated and successful conduct of the APC’s ongoing electronic registration exercise in Zamfara State.
“This was carried out by mischievous elements who are not happy with the transparent and orderly manner the ongoing e-registration of members is going on in the state,” he added.
Idris noted that the forgery was so poorly executed that inconsistencies on the card were immediately obvious, even to casual observers.
“Even to the man on the street, the forgery is detectable right from the card itself, especially the emboldened ‘26’ on the date, which refers to the 26th day of January,” he said, suggesting that the details were deliberately manipulated without regard for accuracy.
He further pointed out that the photograph used on the card was a widely circulated image of Bello Turji that is already well known to security agencies and the Nigerian public, making it highly implausible that such an individual could be covertly registered into a mainstream political party.
“Similarly, the photograph of the hardened criminal used on the card is his picture popularly known by both security agencies and Nigerians in general,” Idris stated, arguing that the use of such a recognisable image further exposed the alleged forgery.
The APC spokesman also emphasised that the party’s electronic registration process is closely integrated with Nigeria’s National Identification Number (NIN) system, making it virtually impossible for a wanted terrorist or bandit leader to be enrolled as a party member.
“No person can be duly registered without a NIN number, which Turji doesn’t have,” Idris said. “This alone makes nonsense of the efforts of the mischief makers who failed to realise that APC programmes are mostly flawless.”
He explained that before any individual can be issued a NIN by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC), the person must provide verifiable personal information and undergo biometric capture, a process that would immediately flag a wanted criminal.
“How then could NIMC capture him with military uniform and a gun on his shoulders?” Idris asked rhetorically. “Or are they blind, or have they forgotten that such features are not acceptable during biometric capture?”
Beyond the biometric argument, Idris highlighted further discrepancies in the alleged membership card, noting that the identification code on the card did not correspond with Zamfara State’s registration records.
“From our records of today’s registration from Kware Ward, we did not have any ID number with the initial code ‘26’, which is for Niger State, but was forged for a Zamfara membership card, talk less of the name,” he said.
According to him, authentic APC membership cards issued in Zamfara State begin with the code ‘36’, not ‘26’, a basic detail he said the forgers either ignored or were unaware of.
“Our code in Zamfara State is ‘36’. The use of ‘26’ clearly shows the ignorance of those behind this forgery,” Idris added.
While dismissing the card as fake, the APC publicity secretary went further to allege that preliminary investigations had traced the origin of the forged card to one Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi, also known as Waziri, whom he described as an associate of Sani Abdullahi Shinkafi.
Idris alleged that Babangida Aliyu Shinkafi had recently been suspended from participating in the APC’s ongoing e-registration exercise due to what he termed a “dubious attitude” and lack of integrity.
“The forgery is linked to him because it first appeared on his Facebook page,” Idris alleged, suggesting that the circulation of the card was neither accidental nor innocent.
He said the leadership of the APC in Zamfara State had completely distanced itself from the fake membership card, which reportedly carried the registration number ID: APC 261113000102.
“The bottom line is that the APC e-registration coordination in Zamfara State and indeed the state chapter of the party wish to completely debunk and distance themselves from the fake membership card,” Idris said.
He reiterated that the code beginning with ‘26’ belongs to Niger State, not Zamfara, whose membership cards begin with ‘36’, stressing that this single inconsistency alone was sufficient to expose the fraud.
Idris therefore called on members of the public to ignore the circulating card and disregard claims linking the APC to Bello Turji, urging citizens to rely on verified information rather than social media speculation.
“We call on well-meaning citizens to disregard the card while investigations into the fabricators are ongoing,” he said.
He also disclosed that the matter had been formally reported to security agencies, expressing confidence that those responsible for the forgery would be identified, arrested and prosecuted in accordance with the law.
“We have reported the forgery case to the security agencies, and we are sure that the perpetrators will be arrested and prosecuted soon,” Idris added.
The controversy comes at a time of heightened public sensitivity over allegations that political actors in Nigeria’s northwest have, at various times, courted or shielded armed groups for electoral or strategic advantage. Banditry in the region has continued to claim thousands of lives, displace entire communities and strain public trust in both political institutions and security agencies.
While the APC has firmly denied any association with Bello Turji, the incident has once again underscored the deep mistrust and anxiety that insecurity has injected into Nigeria’s political discourse, particularly in conflict-affected states such as Zamfara.
