Bauchi South Senator Shehu Buba has denied renewed allegations tying him to banditry, insisting the claims are the work of political rivals seeking to tarnish his reputation.
Buba, who previously chaired the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police over the matter and disclosed that four suspects had already been arrested in connection with the allegations.
The fresh accusations stem from an interview in which a local resident identified only as Hassan claimed Buba was among politicians backing bandits operating in the area. Hassan, speaking to social media influencer D English Alhaji Media, alleged that associates of notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide were flown to Abuja for specialised training arranged by one of the senator’s aides.
Responding via an interview with Albarka Radio in Bauchi on Thursday, Buba dismissed Hassan’s account, describing him as the “principal suspect” who had since fled to Niger Republic and was continuing to make the allegations online with backing from his opponents.
“Those sponsoring him cannot change destiny; if God says I will be, nobody can stop me using social media propaganda against me,” Buba said.
The Bauchi State Police Command said it had received no formal complaint on the matter. Command spokesperson Nafiu Habib said the allegations had not been formally reported to state police authorities.
Businessman and Buba ally Mukhtar Gwarzo, Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms, called for a thorough investigation, describing the allegations as too serious for security agencies to ignore. While vouching for the senator’s character based on a two-decade relationship, Gwarzo insisted scrutiny should not be avoided, urging the DSS, National Assembly and Hajj authorities to speak on the matter.
The controversy adds to an earlier, unresolved petition against Buba. Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed had written President Bola Tinubu in September 2024, alleging that a Buba aide, Yahaya Ibrahim, facilitated Hajj registration for two individuals — one of them, Abubakar Idris, suspected of banditry and kidnapping in Zamfara State. According to that petition, DSS operatives intercepted Idris during the 2024 Hajj exercise and detained him, while the second individual had already travelled before the passport request was made.
The governor’s petition described the episode as suggestive of the senator’s “complicity in supporting, enabling and empowering bandits to cause mayhem and go unscathed.”
The DSS has yet to make public the outcome of its earlier investigation into the matter, with the agency saying findings would be released “at the appropriate time.”
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