*Senator Shehu Buba.
Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, has challenged journalists, fact-checkers and members of the public to independently verify the origins of viral videos allegedly showing bandit kingpins visiting his residence.
Buba, who described the allegations as false and malicious, said the videos had been manipulated and did not constitute evidence of any wrongdoing on his part.
The senator said a fact-check of the materials showed that the viral content was a combination of unrelated footage recorded at different times and involving different individuals.
According to him, one of the clips showed Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, while another featured different individuals displaying passports.
He noted that the people in the first video spoke Fulfulde, while those in the second spoke English, arguing that the distinction further demonstrated that the clips had been wrongly presented as evidence of bandit leaders visiting his home.
Buba said the latest controversy began in August 2026 when a content creator identified as “D English Alhaji” circulated videos alleging that bandit kingpins had visited his 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,” he said.
“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 content creator subsequently interviewed Hassan Husseini, who made further allegations against him.
Buba urged the media and members of the public not to accept allegations simply because they appeared in viral videos, stressing the need for evidence-based scrutiny.
“These claims must be subjected to proper evidentiary standards—not accepted merely because they appear in a viral video,” he said.
The senator also disclosed that he had filed a formal criminal complaint before the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey, Niger Republic, seeking the prosecution of Hassan Saleh Hussein over alleged defamation and insult through electronic communication.
Buba said he welcomed scrutiny of his activities and associations but insisted that such scrutiny must be based on verifiable facts.
“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 recognise that my actions and associations will be examined. That is democracy,” he said.
“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.”
He accused unnamed individuals of recycling old allegations, editing materials and attaching new captions to create what he described as an impression of fresh evidence.
“Modern disinformation thrives on recycling old allegations, editing them, attaching new captions and redistributing them until repetition masquerades as evidence,” he said.
Buba called on editors, journalists, fact-checkers, civil society organisations and opinion leaders to independently examine the allegations.
“Verify the videos. Examine their origins. Establish the identities of the individuals involved. Review court records. Consult relevant security institutions. Subject my explanations to scrutiny as well,” he said.
The senator explained that he initially chose not to respond to the allegations because of concerns that public comments could jeopardise security operations.
He said his previous responsibilities, particularly as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, required discretion.
“Operational successes cannot always be publicised without jeopardising ongoing efforts, exposing sources or endangering individuals and communities involved in sensitive interventions,” he said.
However, he said the continued circulation of the videos and increasingly serious allegations had made it necessary for him to present his side of the matter publicly.
Buba traced the controversy to September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi allegedly led a militia group described as hunters working for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
According to him, the group reportedly killed two charcoal sellers who were carrying out their lawful business.
He said he visited the families of the victims in his capacity as their elected senator, condemned the killings and called on authorities to ensure that justice was served.
Buba alleged that following his intervention, the then Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Abdulhamid Bununu, publicly linked him to banditry.
He rejected the allegation as false and unsupported by evidence.
The senator also recalled an allegation that Governor Bala Mohammed had petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, claiming that he sponsored a “bandit kingpin” to perform the 2024 Hajj through an aide identified as Yahaya Ibrahim.
Buba denied the allegation, saying he had no aide by that name and had invited security agencies to investigate the claim.
He said his sponsorship of pilgrims, scholarships, medical interventions and other empowerment programmes had always been based on recommendations from community and religious leaders.
“My sponsorship of pilgrims—like my scholarships, medical interventions and other empowerment programmes—has always been based on recommendations from community and religious leaders,” he said.
He added that he had sought legal redress over the allegations by filing a defamation suit, marked CV/413/2024, before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
Buba also gave an account of his relationship with Hassan Husseini, whom he said was introduced to him in 2024 as an orphan requiring educational assistance.
He said he enrolled Husseini in a private college in Kaduna and an Islamic school and also provided him with a bicycle for transportation.
According to Buba, Husseini later abandoned his education and approached him for money to establish a car dealership.
He said he declined the request and advised him to return to school.
Buba further alleged that he later discovered that Husseini had recorded photographs and videos of visitors to his residence while under his care.
He claimed that some of those materials subsequently became the basis for allegations circulated on social media.
The senator said that after the videos and photographs began circulating and demands for money were allegedly made, he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force on September 9, 2025.
He said several individuals were arrested and investigated and that five suspects were arraigned on October 30, 2025, before Justice Rita Ofili-Ajumogobia of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The suspects, according to him, were charged in FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025 with offences including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion.
He said the matter remained before the court and declined to comment further in a manner that could prejudice the proceedings.
He added that the next hearing was scheduled for September 29, 2026.
“I have nothing to hide”
Buba challenged anyone or any organisation with credible evidence of wrongdoing against him to submit such evidence to the appropriate authorities.
“I have nothing to hide and nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation,” he said.
He also appealed to his supporters not to be provoked by the allegations, urging them to remain focused on the 2027 elections.
According to him, the objective should be to offer Bauchi State “a credible alternative built on service, development and security.”
“Let us remain calm, disciplined and committed to the democratic process,” Buba said.