The senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has denied fresh allegations linking him to banditry, describing viral videos and claims circulating on social media as part of a sustained campaign of disinformation and character assassination.
Buba, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, has faced allegations since 2024 of having links with suspected bandits, accusations he has consistently denied.
The latest controversy followed the circulation of videos by a content creator known as ‘D English Alhaji’, who alleged that suspected bandit kingpins had visited the senator’s residence.
The allegations were further amplified after a resident identified as Hassan accused Buba, during an interview with the social media influencer, of being among politicians allegedly aiding bandits in the area.
Hassan also alleged that individuals linked to notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, were brought to Abuja for specialised training, allegedly facilitated by an aide of the senator.
However, in a statement issued on Sunday titled, “Setting the Record Straight: My Response to Fabricated Videos, False Allegations and a Sustained Campaign of Disinformation,” Buba dismissed the allegations as false.
The senator, who is currently chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry and a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party, said he initially avoided responding to the allegations because of the sensitivity of his previous role overseeing national security matters.
According to him, his silence should not be interpreted as an inability to respond to the allegations.
He said, “For much of my public life, I have resisted the temptation to respond to every allegation, criticism or provocation directed at me. Citizens have a legitimate right to scrutinise those entrusted with public responsibility, and public officials must be prepared to account for their conduct.
“My election as senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District — and particularly my responsibility as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence — reinforced the need for restraint. National security demands discretion.
“Operational successes cannot always be publicised without jeopardising ongoing efforts, exposing sources or endangering individuals and communities involved in sensitive interventions.”
Buba said the controversy surrounding him began after an incident on September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi allegedly led a militia group purportedly working as hunters for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
According to him, two charcoal sellers were reportedly killed during the incident.
The senator said he visited the families of the deceased and demanded justice, adding that his intervention subsequently led to allegations linking him to banditry.
“This campaign dates back to September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi led a militia group purported to be hunters working for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment. The group reportedly killed two charcoal sellers who were conducting their lawful business.
“As the elected senator representing the district, I visited the families of the deceased to condole with them and called on the relevant authorities to ensure justice is served. I also vowed to pursue lawful action on behalf of both the deceased and the injured victims.
“I condemned the killings and urged the government to institute safeguards against abuses by those entrusted with protecting citizens,” he said.
Buba alleged that following his intervention, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, publicly linked his name to banditry.
He also recalled allegations that he sponsored a suspected bandit kingpin for the 2024 Hajj, saying he had consistently denied the claim and invited security agencies to investigate.
The lawmaker said, “Following my intervention, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, publicly linked my name to banditry — an allegation I rejected as false and unsupported by evidence.
“Subsequently, Governor Bala Mohammed petitioned President Bola Tinubu that I sponsored a ‘bandit kingpin’ to perform the 2024 Hajj through an aide named Yahaya Ibrahim.
“I categorically denied these allegations. I stated that I had no aide by the name cited and invited security agencies to investigate.”
Buba said his sponsorship of pilgrims, educational programmes, medical interventions and empowerment initiatives was based on recommendations from community and religious leaders.
The senator noted that he subsequently filed a defamation suit, marked CV/413/2024, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over the allegations.
Addressing the origin of photographs and videos now circulating online, Buba said a young man identified as Hassan Husseini had been introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan requiring educational assistance.
The Bauchi legislator explained that he enrolled the young man in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna and also provided him with a bicycle.
According to him, the young man later abandoned his education and requested money to establish a car dealership.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence noted that he declined the request and advised him to return to school.
“I later discovered that, while under my care, he had recorded photographs and videos of visitors to my residence. These materials later formed the basis of allegations circulated on social media,” Buba said.
He further alleged that some individuals who circulated the videos later demanded money from him.
Buba said he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, leading to the arrest and investigation of several suspects.
According to him, five suspects were subsequently arraigned on October 30, 2025, before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
“After the videos circulated and those sharing the videos and photos demanded money as extortion, I petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025. Several individuals were arrested and investigated.
“On October 30, 2025, five suspects were arraigned before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, on charges including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion.
“The matter is before a competent court, and I will refrain from comments that could prejudice the proceedings. The next hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2026,” he said.
On the latest viral videos, Buba maintained that they had been wrongly presented as evidence of meetings between him and bandit kingpins.
He said the clips combined unrelated videos, including footage of Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023.
“The latest episode emerged in August 2026 when a content creator known as ‘D English Alhaji’ circulated videos alleging that bandit kingpins visited my residence.
“A subsequent fact-check established that the viral material combined two unrelated clips- footage of Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited my residence in 2023, and a separate clip showing different individuals displaying passports.
“The individuals in the first video spoke Fulfulde; those in the second spoke English. The claim that these clips constitute evidence of bandits visiting my residence is false,” he said.
The Bauchi lawmaker said the content creator subsequently interviewed Hassan Husseini, who made additional allegations against him.
He insisted that allegations contained in viral videos should be subjected to proper investigation and evidentiary standards.
“The content creator later interviewed Hassan Husseini, who made further allegations. These claims must be subjected to proper evidentiary standards—not accepted merely because they appear in a viral video,” he said.
The senator also disclosed that he had initiated legal action against Hassan Saleh Hussein in the Niger Republic.
“Meanwhile, I have submitted a formal criminal complaint to the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey, Niger Republic, through a legal practitioner in that country, seeking the criminal prosecution of Hassan Saleh Hussein for defamation and insult carried out via electronic communication,” he stated.
Buba, who served for two years as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, defended his approach to security issues, saying he had consistently advocated a combination of military and non-military measures.
“For two years, I served as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, a role that placed me at the intersection of legislative oversight, intelligence, security policy and engagement with communities affected by insecurity.
“Throughout that period, I supported a comprehensive approach to security. While kinetic operations are necessary, I consistently advocated complementary non-kinetic strategies involving community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building,” he said.
He added, “Nigeria cannot defeat insecurity by military force alone. Sustainable security requires winning the trust of vulnerable communities, strengthening local intelligence networks and creating pathways for cooperation with legitimate authorities.”
Buba said some of his interventions in security matters could not be publicly discussed because doing so could expose individuals involved in sensitive operations.
“Some of these interventions cannot responsibly be discussed in detail. Revealing identities of intermediaries or operational information could endanger patriotic citizens and undermine ongoing efforts. My silence on such matters should never be interpreted as an absence of service,” he said.
The senator also rejected suggestions that his humanitarian and philanthropic activities were designed to conceal improper relationships.
Buba claimed that his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Redemption Party and pursue his governorship ambition had heightened political attacks against him.
He recalled that former Bauchi State Governor and an APC governorship candidate, Mohammed Abubakar, made remarks about the source of his wealth in July 2026, which he considered defamatory.
The senator said he had also opted for legal action in that instance.
“Political disagreement should never justify character assassination. My decision to leave the APC for the Peoples Redemption Party on which platform I am pursuing my governorship aspiration should be debated on policies, competence and vision, not on fabricated allegations,” he said.
Buba maintained that he was open to public scrutiny but insisted that such scrutiny must be based on verifiable facts.
“I do not claim immunity from scrutiny. As a senator, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, currently chairing the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, and now a gubernatorial candidate, I recognise that my actions and associations will be examined. That is democracy. But scrutiny must be based on facts.
“There is a difference between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate character assassination.
“Modern disinformation thrives on recycling old allegations, editing them, attaching new captions and redistributing them until repetition masquerades as evidence. Responsible citizens and journalists must resist this,” he said.
The senator also appealed to journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently verify the allegations and his responses.
Source: punchng.com
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