Senator Shehu Buba Denies Bandit Links, Says Viral Videos Manipulated

The Bauchi South lawmaker rejects fresh banditry allegations, claims footage was spliced, and challenges accusers to provide evidence as Christian elders demand an independent probe.

ABUJA, Nigeria – Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, has forcefully 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 and currently Chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, has faced repeated accusations of having links with suspected bandits since 2024—claims he has consistently rejected. The latest controversy erupted after a content creator known as ‘D English Alhaji’ circulated videos allegedly showing suspected bandit kingpins visiting the senator’s residence. The allegations gained further traction after a resident identified as Hassan, in an interview with the social media influencer, accused Buba of being among politicians allegedly aiding bandits in the area. Hassan also claimed that individuals linked to notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide were brought to Abuja for specialised training, purportedly facilitated by an aide of the senator.

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 and malicious. He said a fact-check established that the viral material combined two unrelated clips: one showing Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, and another 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,” Buba stated. The senator challenged anyone with credible evidence linking him to criminal activities to submit it to the appropriate security agencies, insisting that he had “nothing to hide and nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation”. He also urged journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently interrogate the allegations rather than accept viral social media materials at face value.

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Buba traced the controversy to September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi allegedly led a militia group described as hunters working for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment. The group reportedly killed two charcoal sellers conducting their lawful business. As the elected senator representing the district, Buba said he visited the families of the deceased, demanded justice, and condemned the killings. He alleged that following his intervention, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, publicly linked his name to banditry—an allegation he rejected as false and unsupported by evidence. Subsequently, Governor Bala Mohammed petitioned President Bola Tinubu, alleging that Buba sponsored a “bandit kingpin” to perform the 2024 Hajj through an aide named Yahaya Ibrahim. Buba categorically denied the allegation, stating he had no aide by that name and inviting security agencies to investigate.

Rather than engage in a public exchange, Buba said he filed a defamation suit, marked CV/413/2024, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. He also stated that he had taken legal action against individuals behind the allegations in courts in Nigeria and Niamey, Niger Republic. According to Buba, after the videos circulated and those sharing them demanded money as extortion, he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025. Five suspects were subsequently arraigned on October 30, 2025, before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on charges including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion. The next hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2026. Meanwhile, Buba disclosed that he had 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.

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. He enrolled the young man in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna and also provided him with a bicycle. According to the senator, Husseini later abandoned his education and requested money to establish a car dealership—a request Buba declined, advising 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.

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The controversy has drawn responses from various quarters. The Northern States Christian Elders Forum (NOSCEF) has called for a thorough, independent and transparent investigation into the allegations. The group, in a statement signed by its Chairman, Elder Sunday Oibe, described the allegations as “too serious to be ignored, dismissed, or allowed to be buried under political, ethnic, or religious sentiments”. NOSCEF urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the leadership of the National Assembly, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Security Adviser to immediately initiate an investigation capable of establishing the truth or otherwise of the allegations. The group also called on Senator Buba to step aside from his legislative responsibilities pending the conclusion of the investigation, saying this would “demonstrate accountability and enable security agencies to conduct their work without interference or the perception of political influence”. Former Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung also urged the DSS to make public the outcome of its investigation into the allegations, stressing that the matter should not be treated as a mere political disagreement.

Buba claimed that his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) and pursue his governorship ambition had heightened political attacks against him. He recalled that former Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar made remarks about the source of his wealth in July 2026, which he considered defamatory, and that he had 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, under whose platform I am pursuing my gubernatorial aspiration, should be debated on policies, competence and vision, not on fabricated allegations,” Buba said. The senator maintained that he was open to public scrutiny but insisted that such scrutiny must be based on verifiable facts. “There is a difference between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate character assassination,” he stated.

Buba explained that he initially refrained from responding to the allegations because of the sensitive nature of his previous responsibility as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence. “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,” he said. He also rejected suggestions that his humanitarian and philanthropic activities were designed to conceal improper relationships, saying his sponsorship of pilgrims, educational programmes, medical interventions and empowerment initiatives were based on recommendations from community and religious leaders. Buba emphasised that Nigeria cannot defeat insecurity by military force alone, advocating complementary non-kinetic strategies involving community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building. “Sustainable security requires winning the trust of vulnerable communities, strengthening local intelligence networks and creating pathways for cooperation with legitimate authorities,” he said.

The Bauchi State Police Command said it had no formal basis to comment on the allegations, as no petition had been received from any of the parties. The command’s spokesperson, Nafiu Habib, told Saturday Punch that the matter had not been formally brought before the state police authorities. The Force Public Relations Officer did not respond to calls or messages seeking clarification on the alleged arrests and investigation. A businessman and political ally of Buba, Mukhtar Gwarzo, called on security agencies and other relevant institutions to thoroughly investigate the allegations. Gwarzo, the Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms, said the accusations were too serious to be ignored because of their implications for national security. “I am not asking anyone to close their eyes. I am not asking for silence. Let every allegation be thoroughly investigated. Let the DSS speak clearly. Let the National Assembly examine the matter with the seriousness it deserves,” Gwarzo stated.