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.
Mr Buba, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence and current chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, said he had faced similar allegations since 2024 but had consistently denied any links with suspected bandits.
The latest allegations followed videos circulated by a content creator identified as ‘D English Alhaji’, who claimed suspected bandit kingpins had visited the senator’s residence. A resident identified as Hassan also accused Mr Buba of being among politicians allegedly aiding bandits and claimed individuals linked to notorious bandit kingpin Dogo Gide were brought to Abuja for specialised training through an aide of the senator.
Mr Buba, who is also a governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party, dismissed the claims as false.
Buba explains his silence
The senator said he initially refrained from responding because of the sensitivity of his former role overseeing national security matters.
He said his silence should not be interpreted as an inability to defend himself.
“Citizens have a legitimate right to scrutinise those entrusted with public responsibility, and public officials must be prepared to account for their conduct.”
He added that national security responsibilities often require discretion because revealing operational information could expose sources, endanger communities or undermine security interventions.
How the allegations started
Mr Buba traced the controversy to 15 September 2024, when Umar Shayi allegedly led a militia group said to be operating as hunters for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
According to the senator, two charcoal sellers were reportedly killed during the incident. He said he visited the victims’ families, condemned the killings and demanded justice.
Mr Buba alleged that his intervention was followed by accusations linking him to banditry.
He further said Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, subsequently linked his name to banditry, an allegation he rejected as unsupported by evidence.
Hajj sponsorship allegation
The senator also addressed an earlier allegation that he sponsored a suspected bandit kingpin to perform the 2024 Hajj.
He said Governor Bala Mohammed had petitioned President Bola Tinubu alleging that he sponsored the individual through an aide identified as Yahaya Ibrahim.
Mr Buba categorically denied the allegation, saying he did not have an aide by that name and invited security agencies to investigate the claim.
He said he later filed a defamation suit, marked CV/413/2024, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Senator explains viral videos
Mr Buba also provided an explanation for photographs and videos currently circulating online.
He said a young man identified as Hassan Husseini was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan who needed educational support. According to the senator, he enrolled Husseini in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna and provided him with a bicycle.
He said the young man later abandoned his education and requested money to establish a car dealership, which he declined, advising him instead to return to school.
Mr Buba alleged that Husseini had recorded photographs and videos of visitors to his residence while under his care, and that the materials later became the basis of allegations circulated online.
Five suspects arraigned
The senator said some individuals who circulated the materials later demanded money from him.
He said he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on 9 September 2025, leading to the arrest and investigation of several suspects.
According to Mr Buba, five suspects were arraigned on 30 October 2025, before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, over charges including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion.
He said the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, remains before the court, with the next hearing scheduled for 29 September 2026.
‘Videos combined unrelated clips’
Addressing the latest controversy, Mr Buba claimed that the viral videos were misleadingly presented as evidence of meetings between him and bandit kingpins.
He said the material combined two unrelated clips, one showing Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, and another showing different individuals displaying passports.
He said the people in the first video spoke Fulfulde while those in the second spoke English, insisting that the footage did not establish that bandits visited his home.
“The claim that these clips constitute evidence of bandits visiting my residence is false,” Mr Buba said.
He also urged the public not to accept allegations simply because they appear in viral videos.
“These claims must be subjected to proper evidentiary standards, not accepted merely because they appear in a viral video,” he said.
Legal action in Niger Republic
Mr Buba disclosed that he had also initiated legal action against Hassan Saleh Hussein in Niger Republic.
He said he submitted a criminal complaint to the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey through a lawyer, seeking prosecution over alleged defamation and insults carried out electronically.
The senator defended his record on insecurity, saying he had consistently advocated a combination of military and non-military approaches.
According to him, military operations alone cannot defeat insecurity and must be complemented by community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building.
“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.”
He said some of his interventions could not be publicly discussed because revealing the identities of intermediaries or sensitive operational information could endanger people involved.
Political dimension
Mr Buba also linked the latest attacks to his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Redemption Party, under which he is pursuing his governorship ambition.
He recalled remarks made in July 2026 by former Bauchi State Governor and APC governorship candidate Mohammed Abubakar concerning the source of his wealth, which he described as defamatory. He said he had also taken legal action over that matter.
“Political disagreement should never justify character assassination,” Mr Buba said, insisting that his political ambitions should be judged on “policies, competence and vision, not on fabricated allegations.”
Buba calls for verification
The senator said he remained open to scrutiny but insisted that allegations against public officials should be supported by verifiable facts.
He distinguished between legitimate investigation and what he described as fabrication, blackmail and political character assassination.
Mr Buba also urged journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently verify both the allegations against him and his responses before drawing conclusions.
The controversy highlights the growing challenge of distinguishing genuine security intelligence from unverified claims circulating online. While public officials should remain open to scrutiny, allegations of links to terrorism or banditry require credible evidence and proper investigation rather than reliance on viral content alone.
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