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Claim: A Facebook user claims that notorious bandit leader Bello Turji defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and was received by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Senator Aminu Tambuwal.
Verdict: False. The images used to support the claim are AI-generated.
Full Text
On Monday, Oct 12, 2026, a Facebook user claimed that Bello Turji, a notorious armed bandit commander operating in North-Western Nigeria, defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The post (archived here) alleged that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Sokoto State Governor Senator Aminu Tambuwal formally received Turji into the ADC.
The text of the viral post read, “CHANZA SHEKA DAGA PDP ZUWA ADC…. Ayau ne Dan’takarar Shugaban kasar Nigeria Akarkashin tutar jam’iyar ADC Alhaji Atiku Abubakar Da tsohon Gwamnan Jahar Sokoto sanater Aminu Waziri Tambuwal Sun karbi Shararen Dan’bindiga wanda yayi Suna A Nigeria Da idon Duniya Daga jam’iyar PDP zuwa jam’iyar ADC Muhammad Bello Turji, Daga jam’iyar PDP zuwa jam’iyar ADC Ayau 12/10/2026.”
Translated into English, the text reads: “DEFECTION FROM PDP TO ADC…. Today, the presidential candidate of Nigeria under the ADC flag, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, and former Governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, received the notorious bandit known across Nigeria and globally, Muhammad Bello Turji, from the PDP into the ADC. Today, 12/10/2026.”
To support the narrative, the author shared images purportedly showing Atiku and Tambuwal holding hands with the wanted bandit kingpin.
As of Oct 13, 2026, the post had garnered 234 likes, 364 comments, and 24 shares.
The post drew varied reactions from users. One user, Zainab Mohd, asked sceptically, “Has he finished working for them?”
Another user, Tafida Gatawa, dismissed the visual as synthetic: “We are not fools, we all know this is AI. Go and tell that to someone who has never been to school.”
We found a similar claim reposted here.
Claims linking high-profile political figures to leaders of violent armed gangs can affect voters’ perceptions ahead of the 2027 general elections, so DUBAWA verified it.
Verification
Google Reverse Image Search results directed DUBAWA to an earlier meeting between Senator Aminu Tambuwal, alongside Bashir Gorau, who represents the Gada/Goronyo Federal Constituency, and the ADC presidential flagbearer, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in Sept. 2026. During the meeting, Atiku raised Bashir’s hand in endorsement. Bashir is seeking re-election.
When we compared the viral image to the image from this meeting, we noticed an identical portrait on the wall in the background. We also observed irregular finger anatomy, unnatural fabric draping, and synthetic facial textures typical of generative AI tools.
Source: DUBAWA
A reverse-image search of the photograph showing Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal led to a Facebook post published earlier in August 2026. A side-by-side comparison between the original photograph and the viral composite showed that the claimant cropped the original frame and digitally inserted the figure of Bello Turji alongside Tambuwal to create the false impression of the meeting.
DUBAWA then subjected the viral images to digital forensic analysis using Google’s AI-detection tool SynthID to evaluate their authenticity. SynthID detected that the pictures were made or edited with OpenAI.
We also used Hive moderation to analyse the image, and it returned an 89.9% probability of artificial synthesis for the image showing Turji with Atiku.
The image of Turji with Tambuwal shows 89.3%, indicating the visual was generated using artificial intelligence.
We further conducted keyword searches across Google, mainstream national media, and official party publications. We found no record of Bello Turji ever being registered as a PDP member or accepted into the ADC.
DUBAWA contacted Yakubu Kware, the ADC administrative secretary in Sokoto State, who refuted the claim.
“The claim is completely false. It is the work of political opponents seeking to tarnish the reputation of our party and leaders.”
This incident also follows a pattern of fabricated materials linking Turji to political parties. In Jan. 2026, fact checkers debunked a doctored membership slip and card that falsely claimed Turji was registered with the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Conclusion
The claim that bandit commander Bello Turji defected from the PDP to the ADC and was received by Atiku and Tambuwal is false. The ADC refuted the assertion, and digital forensics confirmed that the circulating images were AI-generated.
This fact check was produced under the Centre for Journalism Innovation and Development (CJID) Northwest OSINT Fellowship with support from the European Union.