The senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has rejected new accusations connecting him to banditry, describing the viral videos and assertions spreading on social media as elements of an ongoing effort of misinformation and character defamation.
Buba, a past chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, has been accused since 2024 of connections with alleged bandits, claims he has continuously refuted.
The recent dispute arose after a content creator named ‘D English Alhaji’ shared videos claiming that alleged bandit leaders had been to the senator’s home.
The allegations gained more traction when a resident named Hassan claimed Buba, in an interview with the social media influencer, was one of the politicians supposedly assisting bandits in the region.
Hassan claimed that people associated with infamous bandit leader Dogo Gide were transported to Abuja for specialized training, supposedly arranged by a senator’s aide.
In a statement released on Sunday named “Setting the Record Straight: My Response to Fabricated Videos, False Allegations, and a Sustained Campaign of Disinformation,” Buba rejected the accusations as untrue.
The senator, presently the chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry and a gubernatorial candidate with the Peoples Redemption Party, mentioned that he initially refrained from addressing the accusations due to the sensitivity of his former position managing national security issues.
According to the lawmaker, 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 scrutinize 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 publicized without jeopardizing ongoing efforts, exposing sources, or endangering individuals and communities involved in sensitive interventions.”
Buba stated that 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.
He said that two charcoal vendors were slain in the incident.
The senator stated that he visited the relatives of the murdered and sought justice and that his intervention resulted in claims 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 claimed that after his intervention, Abubakar Bununu, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, openly linked his name to banditry.
He also addressed rumors that he sponsored a suspected bandit kingpin for the 2024 Hajj, stating that he has always disputed the claim and encouraged security services 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 stated that his support of pilgrims, educational programs, medical interventions, and empowerment activities was based on recommendations from community and religious leaders.
The senator stated that he later filed a defamation claim, CV/413/2024, in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory over the charges.
Buba addressed the origin of the images and films presently circulating online, stating that a young man named Hassan Husseini was brought to him in 2024 as an orphan in need of scholastic support.
The Bauchi politician claimed that he enrolled the young man in a private college and Islamic school in Kaduna, as well as providing him with a bicycle.
According to him, the young man later abandoned his education and asked for money to start a car dealership.
The chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence said he refused the request and recommended 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 said that those who spread the videos later sought money from him.
Buba stated that he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, which resulted in the arrest and interrogation of many offenders.
According to him, five suspects were later 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.
Speaking on the latest viral videos, Buba maintained that they had been wrongly presented as evidence of meetings between him and bandit kingpins.
He stated that 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 legislator stated that the content producer thereafter interviewed Hassan Husseini, who made new claims against him.
He insisted that allegations made in viral videos be investigated thoroughly and proven using evidence.
“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 lawmaker also revealed 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 chaired the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence for two years, defended his approach to security matters, claiming that he had always advocated for a mix of military and non-military methods.
“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, deradicalization, 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.”
He stated that 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 denied allegations that his humanitarian and philanthropic activities were intended to conceal inappropriate relationships.
Buba alleged that his choice to leave the All Progressives Congress for the People’s Redemption Party and pursue his governorship aspiration fueled political attacks on him.
He recalled former Bauchi State Governor and APC governorship candidate Mohammed Abubakar’s disparaging accusations about the source of his riches in July 2026.
The senator stated that he had also decided to take legal action in that situation.
“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 claimed that he was open to public inquiry but asked that it be based on verified 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 recognize 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 lawmaker also appealed to journalists, editors, fact-checkers, and civil society organizations to independently verify the allegations and his responses.
