Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, has rejected allegations linking him to suspected bandits, describing viral videos and social media claims against him as part of a campaign to damage his reputation.
Buba, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said the latest allegations were based on manipulated or unrelated footage and should not be treated as evidence of criminal associations.
The controversy resurfaced after a content creator identified as ‘D English Alhaji’ circulated videos alleging that suspected bandit leaders had visited the senator’s residence.
A resident identified as Hassan also made allegations against Buba during an interview with the content creator, claiming that politicians in the area had assisted bandits. Hassan further alleged that people associated with notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide were brought to Abuja for specialised training through an aide linked to the senator.
Buba rejected the claims in a statement issued on Sunday titled, “Setting the Record Straight: My Response to Fabricated Videos, False Allegations and a Sustained Campaign of Disinformation.”
The senator said he had previously chosen not to respond to every allegation because of the sensitivity of his former national security responsibilities.
According to him, his position required discretion because publicly discussing certain security operations could expose sources, endanger individuals or interfere with ongoing efforts.
“For much of my public life, I have resisted the temptation to respond to every allegation, criticism or provocation directed at me,” Buba said.
He added that his former role as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence made restraint particularly important.
“National security demands discretion,” he said, arguing that operational successes could not always be publicly discussed without compromising sensitive activities.
How the allegations began
Buba traced the accusations against him to an incident in September 2024 involving a militia group allegedly operating as hunters under the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
He said the group, allegedly led by Umar Shayi, was accused of killing two charcoal sellers.
Buba said he visited the victims’ families in his capacity as their elected senator and demanded that those responsible be brought to 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,” he said.
The senator maintained that his intervention against the alleged killings subsequently became connected to claims that he had links with banditry.
He further alleged that Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, publicly associated his name with banditry after the incident.
Buba also recalled a separate allegation that he sponsored a suspected bandit leader to attend the 2024 Hajj through an aide identified as Yahaya Ibrahim.
The senator denied the allegation and said he had no aide by that name, while challenging security agencies to investigate the claim.
Senator cites previous court action
Buba said he later instituted a defamation case over the allegations.
He identified the suit as CV/413/2024, filed at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
The senator also addressed the photographs and videos currently circulating online, saying some of the material originated from a young man he identified as Hassan Husseini, whom he said was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan in need of educational assistance.
Buba said he helped enrol Husseini in a private college and Islamic school in Kaduna and also gave him a bicycle.
According to the senator, Husseini later abandoned his education and requested financial assistance to establish a car dealership.
Buba said he declined the request and advised him to return to school.
He alleged that Husseini had meanwhile taken photographs and videos of people visiting his residence, which later became part of social media allegations against him.
“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.
The senator further alleged that some people involved in circulating the material later demanded money from him.
He said he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, following the alleged extortion attempts.
According to Buba, five suspects were arraigned on October 30, 2025, before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
He identified the case as Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, involving allegations including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion.
Buba said the matter remains before the court, with the next hearing scheduled for September 29, 2026.
Buba disputes meaning of viral videos
Addressing the latest footage, the senator said videos circulated in August 2026 had been presented as evidence that suspected bandit leaders visited his residence.
He disputed that interpretation, claiming the material actually combined unrelated footage.
“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,” he said.
Buba claimed one clip showed Hajj returnees from Kaduna who visited his residence in 2023, while another showed different individuals displaying passports.
He said the people in the separate clips spoke different languages and insisted that the footage did not establish that bandits had visited him.
“The claim that these clips constitute evidence of bandits visiting my residence is false,” he said.
The senator also rejected further allegations made by Hassan Husseini during an interview with the content creator.
Buba said claims contained in viral social media videos should be subjected to independent investigation and supported by evidence before being accepted as fact.
Legal complaint filed in Niger Republic
Buba disclosed that he had also initiated legal proceedings against a man he identified as Hassan Saleh Hussein in Niger Republic.
According to the senator, a criminal complaint was submitted to the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey through a lawyer.
He said the complaint seeks prosecution over alleged defamation and insults communicated electronically.
Buba did not disclose the outcome of that complaint in his statement.
Buba defends security record
The senator also defended his record in dealing with insecurity, pointing to his two-year tenure as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
He said his approach had always involved both military operations and non-military measures, including community engagement, intelligence gathering, dialogue and confidence-building.
“While kinetic operations are necessary, I consistently advocated complementary non-kinetic strategies involving community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building,” he said.
Buba argued that military action alone would not permanently resolve insecurity in Nigeria.
“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.
He maintained that some of his interventions could not be publicly disclosed because doing so could expose people who assisted security efforts or compromise sensitive operations.
Senator links controversy to political ambition
Buba also suggested that the intensity of the allegations against him had increased since he left the All Progressives Congress and joined the Peoples Redemption Party, under which he is pursuing a governorship bid.
He referred to comments allegedly made by former Bauchi State Governor and APC governorship candidate Mohammed Abubakar in July 2026 regarding the source of his wealth.
Buba described the comments as defamatory and said he had also chosen legal action in that matter.
“Political disagreement should never justify character assassination,” he said.
The senator insisted that his political opponents should challenge him based on his policies, competence and vision rather than what he described as fabricated allegations.
He said he remained willing to face legitimate scrutiny as a public official but drew a distinction between investigation and what he called deliberate fabrication.
“Scrutiny must be based on facts,” Buba said, urging journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently examine both the allegations against him and his response.
He also warned against the repeated circulation of unverified material, arguing that allegations can appear credible simply because they are repeatedly shared online.
As the legal proceedings connected to some of the allegations continue, the senator’s latest statement represents his most detailed response yet to the renewed social media controversy.