The Defence Headquarters has dismissed the reports that the bandit kingpin, Bello Turji, has surrendered to the military.

The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Markus Kangye, made this known on Thursday while briefing journalists on the operations of the armed forces in Abuja.

He said, “Bello Turji has not surrendered. We are still on the trail for him.’’

Turji, a wanted bandit leader operating mainly in Zamfara and Sokoto states, has been linked to several attacks on communities in the North-West.

Recall that there were recent reports that the bandit leader had surrendered his arms and released 32 kidnap victims following a peace initiative brokered by an Islamic cleric in Zamfara State.

Mr Kangye also dismissed allegations by Amnesty International accusing the troops of extrajudicial killings in the South-East, describing them as unfounded.

He said the military does not engage in indiscriminate violence, adding that soldiers would not carry weapons to the street to start killing people.

He stated, “You know what Amnesty International is doing. You know what they used to publish. Like I always tell you, everybody with a phone in his hand is a potential source of information to the whole world. But I can tell you that the military is not engaged in any extrajudicial killing in the southeast.’’

On the recent protests by some retired military personnel, Mr Kangye said the matter had been addressed by the Military Pensions Board (MPB) during a meeting with the affected veterans.

He explained that only a few individuals were involved in the demonstrations, adding that MPB, alongside the Chief of Accounts and Budget at the Defence Headquarters and the Minister of Finance, had engaged with them to resolve the issues.

(NAN)