A fresh wave of controversy has hit Zamfara State after an APC membership card bearing the name and photograph of notorious bandit kingpin Bello Turji surfaced online, triggering public outrage and renewed debate over alleged political ties to armed groups in Nigeria’s northwest. Turji, who is widely known and wanted by security agencies for violent crimes, was purportedly presented as a registered member of the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The Zamfara State chapter of the APC has firmly denied the claim, describing the card as fake and deliberately doctored to damage the party’s reputation. In a statement issued in Gusau, the state capital, APC Publicity Secretary Malam Yusuf Idris said the document was the work of “mischievous elements” seeking to undermine the party’s ongoing electronic membership registration exercise.
According to Idris, the forgery contained obvious errors, including an incorrect registration code and a poorly edited date, which he said made the card easy to discredit. He explained that APC membership registration is integrated with the National Identification Number (NIN) system, arguing that it would be impossible for a wanted criminal like Turji to be captured through biometric and identity verification processes. He also noted that Zamfara APC cards carry a different state code from the one seen on the viral card.
The party further alleged that the fake card first appeared on social media via an individual recently suspended from the registration exercise, adding that the matter has been reported to security agencies for investigation. While urging the public to disregard the circulating document, the APC said it remains confident those behind the forgery will be identified and prosecuted, as public concern continues to grow over the broader issue of political complicity amid persistent insecurity in the region.