Bauchi senator faces renewed banditry allegations as DSS, police respond

Fresh allegations linking Senator Shehu Buba to suspected bandits have triggered renewed scrutiny of the Bauchi South lawmaker, who has repeatedly denied any involvement in criminal activities.

Buba, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, has been accused of having links with bandits since 2024, but the latest claims have again put the senator on the defensive.

The latest allegation was made by a resident identified simply as Hassan during an interview with social media influencer D English Alhaji Media (@DEngliishalhaji).

Hassan reportedly alleged that the senator was among politicians assisting bandits in the area. He further claimed that associates of notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide were brought to Abuja for specialised training allegedly facilitated by one of Buba’s aides.

Buba has rejected the claims, describing Hassan as part of an alleged campaign sponsored by political opponents to damage his reputation.

Speaking in an interview published by Albarka Radio in Bauchi on Thursday, the senator said he had already petitioned the Inspector General of Police over the allegations.

He claimed that four suspects had been arrested and were expected to face prosecution, while alleging that Hassan, whom he described as the principal suspect, had escaped to Niger Republic.

According to Buba, Hassan has continued to make live broadcasts on the internet from Niger Republic, allegedly with financial backing from his political opponents.

“Those sponsoring him cannot change destiny; if God says I will be, nobody can stop me using social media propaganda against me,” the senator said.

However, the latest allegations have not been independently verified.

The Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, did not respond to calls or messages seeking clarification on the alleged arrests and investigation.

Buba and his media aide, Sabo Muhammad, were also unreachable, with their telephone lines switched off for several hours while messages sent to them could not be delivered.

In Bauchi, the state police command said it had no formal basis to comment on the allegations.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, said no petition had been received from any of the parties.

“We have not received any petition by anyone on the said allegation, so we don’t have a stake in the matter,” Habib said.

The controversy has also drawn a defence of the senator from one of his associates, Mukhtar Gwarzo, Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms.

Gwarzo said he had known Buba for more than 20 years and urged the relevant security and oversight institutions to investigate the allegations thoroughly rather than dismissing them or shielding the senator.

He described the allegations as serious because of their implications for national security, insisting that the facts should be established “clearly and without fear or favour.”

Gwarzo said his long relationship with the senator had allowed him to observe his conduct away from public attention.

“I have known him in quiet moments and in difficult seasons. I have watched his character under pressure. I know the values he carries, the discipline he lives by, and the quiet integrity that has guided his life,” he said.

He also questioned the portrayal of Buba in the allegations, pointing to the lawmaker’s previous role overseeing national security and intelligence matters.

“The man I know is not the man being painted in these stories. If he were the kind of person who would support, protect, or benefit from banditry and terrorism, he would never have been entrusted with one of the most sensitive positions in the National Assembly,” Gwarzo stated.

Despite defending the senator, Gwarzo said the allegations should not be ignored.

“I am not asking anyone to close their eyes. I am not asking for silence. Let every allegation be thoroughly investigated.

“Let the DSS speak clearly. Let the National Assembly examine the matter with the seriousness it deserves. Let the Hajj authorities explain the processes that were followed,” he said.

He added that anyone found to have committed wrongdoing should face the full force of the law.

The current controversy revives an earlier dispute involving Buba and alleged links to individuals suspected of banditry.

In September 2024, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed reportedly wrote to President Bola Tinubu over the registration of two individuals, Abubakar Idris and Zainab Gado, for the Hajj pilgrimage.

The governor’s petition alleged that Idris, described as a suspected Zamfara bandit, and Gado were registered and funded through Yahaya Ibrahim, an aide to Senator Buba.

According to the petition, DSS operatives visited the Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board during the 2024 Hajj operation and requested the passports of the two intending pilgrims.

While Gado’s passport had already been released and she had travelled for the pilgrimage, Idris’ passport was handed over to the DSS and he was subsequently detained.

The governor said intelligence available to the authorities linked Idris to banditry and kidnapping in Zamfara State.

He also stated that records at the pilgrims’ welfare board indicated that both individuals had been registered through Ibrahim, described as a senior legislative aide to Buba.

Mohammed described the development as “deeply worrisome as it suggests the senator’s complicity in supporting, enabling and empowering bandits to cause mayhem and go unscathed.”

The Department of State Services was subsequently reported to have investigated the senator over the allegations.

When contacted over the status of the investigation, a DSS spokesperson told Saturday PUNCH that the outcome “would be published at the appropriate time, please.”

Attempts to obtain further confirmation from the Bauchi State Government were unsuccessful, as the governor’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mukhtar Gidado, and Commissioner for Information, Usman Shehu, did not respond to calls and messages.

The senator also faced another controversy in 2025 after a report by Sahara Reporters alleged that he had facilitated a peace arrangement involving wanted bandit leader Bello Turji.

Buba rejected the allegations and subsequently petitioned the Force Criminal Investigation Department over what his legal team described as a coordinated campaign against him.

In the September 9, 2025 petition addressed to the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Force CID, Buba’s lawyer, Musa Ogah, accused several individuals, including Hassan, Kibanna AA Square, Jabir Kaura and Ishaq Abubakar (Major), of criminal conspiracy, defamation, cyberstalking and bullying.

The lawyer alleged that the campaign was being driven by political opponents who were uncomfortable with Buba’s growing influence in Bauchi South.

The petition also accused Hassan of making allegations on Facebook and WhatsApp that Buba had given money in “Ghana-must-go” bags to a Kaduna cleric, Assadus Sunna, allegedly for distribution to bandits.

It further alleged that the senator had distributed motorcycles to bandits rather than constituents, contrary to claims made by the lawmaker.

Buba’s legal team asked the police to investigate the allegations and identify whoever was allegedly financing the campaign.

Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has also called for an independent examination of the allegations against the senator.

Dalung urged the DSS to clarify the outcome of its earlier investigation and called on the National Assembly to consider an independent probe, particularly because of Buba’s former role in a committee responsible for sensitive security and intelligence matters.

He also asked the Hajj authorities to explain how Idris was registered and sponsored for the pilgrimage.

According to Dalung, the senator should either be publicly cleared if the allegations are found to be baseless or face accountability if evidence establishes wrongdoing.

He stressed that “political office, parliamentary status or personal connections should provide no shield against accountability.”