Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, has publicly rejected fresh allegations connecting him to banditry, describing viral videos and social media claims as part of a coordinated effort to tarnish his reputation. In a statement released on Sunday, titled "Setting the Record Straight: My Response to Fabricated Videos, False Allegations and a Sustained Campaign of Disinformation," Buba responded directly to videos circulated by a content creator known as "D English Alhaji," who alleged that suspected bandit kingpins had visited the senator's residence.
Background of the Allegations
The controversy dates back to September 15, 2024, when a militia group allegedly led by one Umar Shayi, operating under the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment, reportedly killed two charcoal sellers. As the district's elected senator, Buba visited the victims' families and publicly condemned the killings. He claimed that Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security Abubakar Bununu subsequently linked his name to banditry, an accusation he rejected as baseless.
Governor Bala Mohammed later petitioned President Bola Tinubu, alleging that Buba had sponsored a bandit kingpin for the 2024 Hajj through an aide named Yahaya Ibrahim, as reported by Punch. Buba denied knowing anyone by that name and called on security agencies to investigate the claim. He subsequently filed a defamation suit, marked CV/413/2024, at the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Origin of the Viral Videos
Buba said a young man named Hassan Husseini was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan needing educational support. He enrolled the young man in a private college and an Islamic school in Kaduna, and provided him with a bicycle. When the young man later abandoned school and asked for money to start a car dealership, Buba said he declined. He later discovered that, while living under his care, the young man had secretly recorded visitors to his residence, and that footage formed the basis of the circulating videos, according to Vanguard.
Buba said those sharing the videos later demanded money from him. He petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025, leading to arrests. On October 30, 2025, five suspects were arraigned before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court in Abuja, in Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, on counts including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud, and extortion. The next hearing is scheduled for September 29, 2026.
Fact-Check of August 2026 Videos
Addressing the August 2026 videos specifically, Buba said a fact-check showed the clips combined unrelated footage: one showing Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, and another showing different individuals displaying passports. He also said he had filed a criminal complaint with prosecutors in Niamey, Niger Republic, against Hassan Saleh Hussein over alleged defamation through electronic communication.
Buba, who now chairs the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry and is pursuing a governorship bid on the Peoples Redemption Party platform, said political opponents had intensified attacks following his departure from the All Progressives Congress. The senator's rejection of the allegations comes amid broader national scrutiny of terrorism financing, as the United States Secretary of State recently designated certain countries as repeatedly providing support for acts of international terrorism under specific laws, including section 1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
