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Bauchi South Senatorial District lawmaker, Shehu Buba, has denied alleged links to banditry, describing viral videos and social media claims against him as part of a sustained campaign of disinformation and character assassination.
Buba, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said the allegations were false and urged the public to subject the claims to proper investigation and evidentiary standards.
The latest controversy followed videos circulated by a content creator identified as ‘D English Alhaji’, who alleged that suspected bandit kingpins had visited Buba’s residence.
The allegations were further amplified after a resident, identified as Hassan Husseini, accused the senator during an interview with the content creator of being among politicians allegedly aiding bandits in the area.
Buba, in a statement issued on Sunday titled, “Setting the Record Straight: My Response to Fabricated Videos, False Allegations and a Sustained Campaign of Disinformation,” said he had deliberately avoided responding to previous allegations because of the sensitive nature of his former role overseeing national security matters.
He said his silence should not be interpreted as an inability to respond, stressing that national security responsibilities sometimes require discretion.
The senator said the allegations against him dated back to September 15, 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 Buba, two charcoal sellers were reportedly killed during the incident.
He said he visited the families of the deceased, condemned the killings and called on relevant authorities to ensure justice.
Buba alleged that his intervention subsequently led to claims linking him to banditry.
He also recalled an allegation that he sponsored a suspected bandit kingpin to perform the 2024 Hajj, which he said he had consistently denied.
The senator said he invited security agencies to investigate the allegation, adding that he had no aide by the name mentioned in the claim.
Buba further disclosed that he had filed a defamation suit over some of the allegations and that the matter was before the courts.
Addressing the photographs and videos currently circulating online, the senator said they originated from a young man, Hassan Husseini, whom he claimed was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan in need of educational assistance.
According to Buba, he enrolled Husseini in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna and also provided him with a bicycle.
He said Husseini later abandoned his education and requested financial assistance to establish a car dealership, a request he declined while advising him to return to school.
Buba alleged that he later discovered that Husseini had secretly recorded photographs and videos of visitors to his residence.
He claimed some individuals who circulated the materials subsequently demanded money from him.
The senator said he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, following which several suspects were arrested and investigated.
He added that five suspects were arraigned before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Abuja on October 30, 2025, over allegations including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion.
Buba said the next hearing in the matter was scheduled for September 29, 2026.
On the latest viral videos, the senator maintained that they had been presented out of context and did not show meetings between him and bandit leaders.
He claimed the videos combined two unrelated clips, including footage of Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023 and another video showing individuals displaying passports.
According to him, the individuals in the two clips spoke different languages, further demonstrating that the footage did not depict a single incident involving bandit kingpins.
Buba also disclosed that he had initiated legal proceedings against Hassan Saleh Hussein in Niger Republic over alleged defamation and insults carried out through electronic communication.
Defending his record in the fight against insecurity, Buba said he had consistently supported both military and non-military approaches to tackling insecurity.
He said community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building were necessary alongside military operations.
The senator added that some of his interventions in security matters could not be publicly disclosed because revealing the identities of intermediaries or sensitive operational information could endanger individuals and undermine security efforts.
Buba also rejected claims that his humanitarian and philanthropic activities were intended to conceal improper relationships.
He attributed some of the recent attacks against him to his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress and pursue a governorship ambition on the platform of the Peoples Redemption Party.
The senator said political disagreements should be based on policies, competence and vision rather than what he described as fabricated allegations.
Buba said he remained open to public scrutiny but insisted that allegations against him must be based on verifiable facts.
He urged journalists, editors, fact-checkers and civil society organisations to independently verify the claims and his responses before publishing or sharing them.
