Bauchi Senator Speaks on Claims of Sponsoring Bandits

The senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has denied allegations that he maintains links with notorious bandit kingpins or has sponsored banditry in northern Nigeria.

Buba, who is the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) governorship candidate in Bauchi State, described the allegations circulating online as fabricated narratives designed to damage his reputation.

In a statement issued on Sunday, the senator said he had been the target of propaganda, manipulated videos and false claims since 2024.

He specifically dismissed claims that high-profile bandit leaders had visited his residence and that he sponsored some of them to undertake the annual Hajj pilgrimage.

According to him, he has already instituted legal proceedings against individuals behind some of the allegations in courts in Nigeria and Niamey, Niger Republic.

Buba alleged that the campaign against him intensified following his decision to leave the All Progressives Congress (APC) and contest the Bauchi governorship election on the PRP platform.

He said old videos and allegations were being recycled, edited and republished with new captions to create the impression that they constituted fresh evidence against him.

“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.

The senator acknowledged that his public positions and associations were subject to scrutiny, particularly given his previous role as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence and his current chairmanship of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry.

However, he maintained that legitimate scrutiny must be based on verifiable facts.

“There is a difference between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate character assassination,” Buba said.

He called on journalists and civil society organisations to independently verify videos and other materials being circulated against him before publishing or amplifying them.

Buba also explained that his former position as chairman of the Senate committee responsible for national security required him to maintain confidentiality on certain matters.

He said publicly disclosing operational details, identities of sources or information relating to sensitive security interventions could put lives at risk and undermine efforts to tackle insecurity.

According to him, his two-year tenure on the committee involved legislative oversight, intelligence-related matters, security policy and engagements with communities affected by violence.

He said he supported a combination of military operations and non-kinetic approaches, including community engagement, dialogue, intelligence gathering, deradicalisation and confidence-building measures.

“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.

Buba argued that some of the contacts and interventions being presented online as evidence of complicity in banditry could have been security-related engagements or acts of compassion that were subsequently stripped of their original context.

“It is deeply unfortunate when acts of compassion or legitimate security-related contacts are stripped of context and repackaged as evidence of wrongdoing,” he said.

The senator said he would continue to defend himself through lawful channels while remaining focused on his legislative responsibilities and his governorship campaign.

He urged Nigerians to distinguish between genuine investigations and what he described as deliberate attempts to manipulate public opinion.

“The facts should speak louder than propaganda,” Buba said.