Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, has rejected allegations that he is linked to bandit kingpins or sponsors banditry in northern Nigeria, calling the claims fabricated and politically motivated.
Buba, who is the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Bauchi State, said online reports alleged that top bandit leaders visited his home and that he sponsored some of them for the hajj pilgrimage.
In a statement issued Sunday in Abuja, he said propaganda, false claims and manipulated videos had been used against him since 2024. He added that he had taken legal action against those behind the allegations in courts in Nigeria and Niamey, Niger Republic.
“These claims must be subjected to proper evidentiary standards—not accepted merely because they appear in a viral video,” Buba said.
He said he also filed a criminal complaint through a Niger Republic lawyer before the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey, seeking the prosecution of Hassan Saleh Hussein over alleged defamation and insult through electronic communication.
Buba said the campaign intensified after he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the PRP to contest the Bauchi governorship election. He accused his opponents of recycling old and edited videos with new captions to create an impression of links to bandits.
“My decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), under whose platform I am pursuing my gubernatorial aspiration, should be debated on policies, competence and vision—not on fabricated allegations,” he said.
He said some security-related engagements and acts of compassion had also been taken out of context and presented as wrongdoing.
“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.”
The senator urged journalists and civil society groups to independently verify the videos and materials being circulated against him.
He explained that his former role as Senate Committee chairman required discretion because revealing sensitive information, sources or operational details could put people at risk and undermine security operations.
According to Buba, his two-year tenure involved legislative oversight, intelligence, security policy and engagement with communities affected by insecurity. He said he supported both military operations and non-kinetic measures such as dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building.
“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 added that some interventions could not be discussed publicly because doing so could expose intermediaries and endanger citizens.
“My silence on such matters should never be interpreted as an absence of service,” he said.
“I will continue to defend my name through lawful means. More importantly, I will continue the work that has defined my public life: serving my constituents, supporting those in need and contributing to the peace and security of our nation.
“The facts should speak louder than propaganda.”
