A FORMER Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, Senator Shehu Buba, is once again facing allegations of supporting banditry as he struggles to clear his name and fend off claims linking him to suspected criminal elements.
News Point Nigeria reports that Buba, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District in the Senate, has faced allegations since 2024 over an alleged relationship with suspected bandits, accusations he has consistently and repeatedly denied.
The latest controversy also drew the intervention of Buba’s ally and Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms, Mukhtar Gwarzo, who defended the senator while calling for a thorough investigation into the allegations, insisting that the truth must be established clearly and without fear or favour.
The fresh allegations came from a local resident simply identified as Hassan, who accused the senator during an interview with social media influencer, D English Alhaji Media (@DEngliishalhaji), of being among politicians allegedly aiding bandits in the area.
Hassan also alleged that individuals linked to notorious bandit kingpin, Dogo Gide, were brought to Abuja for specialised training, an exercise he claimed was facilitated by an aide of the senator.
But Buba, in an interview published by Albarka Radio in Bauchi on Friday, dismissed the allegations and accused Hassan of being sponsored by some politicians to tarnish his reputation.
The senator disclosed that he had earlier submitted a formal petition to the Inspector-General of Police, adding that four suspects had been arrested and would soon be charged. According to him, Hassan, whom he described as the primary suspect, had fled the country to Niger Republic, where he allegedly continued to run live Internet broadcasts funded by political 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.
However, Saturday PUNCH was unable to independently confirm the alleged police action, as the Force Public Relations Officer, Ani Iniedu, did not answer calls or respond to messages sent to him. The senator’s phone numbers and that of his media aide, Sabo Muhammad, were also reportedly switched off for hours, while messages sent to their lines could not be delivered on Friday.
When contacted on steps taken over the development in the state, the Bauchi State Police Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Habib, said the command could not take a position on the matter in the absence of any formal complaint or petition from the parties involved. “We have not received any petition by anyone on the said allegation, so we don’t have a stake in the matter,” he said.
Defending Buba, Gwarzo, who said he had known the senator for more than two decades, described the allegations as serious because they touched directly on national security. While insisting that the truth must be established “clearly and without fear or favour,” he said his personal knowledge of Buba over the years had given him confidence in the senator’s character.
“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,” Gwarzo said.
He argued that the senator he knew was different from the person portrayed in the allegations, noting that Buba’s previous responsibilities in the National Assembly demonstrated the level of trust placed in him. “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,” he stated.
Gwarzo, however, stressed that he was not asking anyone to disregard the allegations or shield the senator from scrutiny. “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, adding that anyone found culpable should face the full weight of the law.