The Senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has dismissed allegations linking him to banditry, describing the viral videos and claims circulating online as a deliberate campaign of disinformation and character assassination.
Buba, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, has faced accusations of having ties with suspected bandits since 2024. He has repeatedly denied the allegations.
The Punch reported that the latest controversy followed videos circulated by a social media content creator identified as ‘D English Alhaji’, who claimed that suspected bandit kingpins had visited the senator at his residence.
The allegations gained further attention after a resident, Hassan, accused Buba in an interview with the content creator of being among politicians allegedly supporting bandits in the area.
Hassan also claimed that associates of notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide were taken to Abuja for specialised training, allegedly with the assistance of one of the senator’s aides.
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 described the allegations as untrue.
The senator, who currently chairs the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry and is seeking the governorship of Bauchi State on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party, explained that he had initially refrained from responding because of the sensitivity of his former security role.
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 traced the allegations to an incident on September 15, 2024, involving a militia group allegedly led by Umar Shayi and reportedly operating as hunters under the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
He said two charcoal sellers were allegedly killed during the incident, prompting him to visit the victims’ families and call for justice.
“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.
According to the lawmaker, his intervention was followed by accusations from Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, who allegedly linked him to banditry.
Buba also recalled a separate allegation that he sponsored a suspected bandit kingpin to attend the 2024 Hajj.
“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.”
The senator said his support for pilgrims, education, healthcare and empowerment programmes was based on recommendations from community and religious leaders.
He disclosed that he subsequently instituted a defamation case, marked CV/413/2024, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over the allegations.
On the photographs and videos currently circulating online, Buba said a young man, Hassan Husseini, was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan in need of educational support.
He said he assisted Husseini by enrolling him in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna and also gave him a bicycle.
According to the senator, Husseini later abandoned his studies and sought financial assistance to start a car dealership. Buba said he rejected the request and encouraged him to resume his education.
“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 of those behind the circulation of the materials later demanded money from him.
Buba said he reported the matter to the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, after which several suspects were arrested and investigated.
He said five suspects were 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.
Addressing the latest videos, Buba said the footage had been misrepresented as proof that he held meetings with bandit leaders.
“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.
Buba added that the content creator subsequently interviewed Hassan Husseini, who made further allegations against him.
He maintained that such claims should be assessed through proper investigation and evidence rather than accepted because they appeared in viral social media content.
“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 commenced legal proceedings against Hassan Saleh Hussein in 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 also defended his record as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, saying he had consistently promoted both military and non-military approaches to tackling insecurity.
“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.”
The lawmaker said some of his security-related interventions could not be made public because doing so could expose individuals or compromise 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.
Buba also rejected claims that his humanitarian and philanthropic activities were intended to disguise inappropriate relationships.
He attributed what he described as increased political attacks to his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress and pursue the Bauchi governorship under the Peoples Redemption Party.
The senator recalled that former Bauchi State Governor and APC governorship candidate, Mohammed Abubakar, questioned the source of his wealth in July 2026, an allegation Buba considered defamatory.
He said he had also chosen to seek legal redress over the matter.
“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 said he remained willing to face public scrutiny but insisted that allegations against him should be supported by verifiable evidence.
“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 urged journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently examine both the allegations against him and his explanations.
