Senator Investigated Over Alleged Involvement With Bandits, DSS Reacts

The senator representing Bauchi South, Shehu Buba, has denied fresh allegations linking him to banditry, accusing political opponents of sponsoring a campaign to damage his reputation.

Buba, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, said he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) over the allegations and claimed that four suspects had been arrested in connection with the matter.

Findings by Saturday Punch showed that the lawmaker has faced allegations of links to suspected bandits since 2024, claims he has repeatedly rejected.

The latest controversy followed an interview in which a local resident identified simply as Hassan alleged that Buba was among politicians supporting bandits in the area.

Hassan made the claims during an interview with social media influencer, D English Alhaji Media.

He further alleged that individuals associated with notorious bandit leader, Dogo Gide, were taken to Abuja for specialised training purportedly facilitated by one of the senator’s aides.

Responding in an interview published by Albarka Radio in Bauchi on Thursday, Buba dismissed Hassan’s claims as part of an attempt to undermine him.

He further alleged that Hassan, whom he described as the principal suspect, had fled to Niger Republic and was continuing to broadcast on the Internet 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,” Buba said.

The Bauchi State Police Command said it had not received a formal complaint concerning the latest allegations and could therefore not take a position.

The command’s spokesperson, Nafiu Habib, told Saturday Punch that the matter had not been formally brought before the state police authorities.

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

Meanwhile, a businessman and political ally of Buba, Mukhtar Gwarzo, called on security agencies and other relevant institutions to thoroughly investigate the allegations.

Gwarzo, the Managing Director of Nixon Energy and Nixon Telecoms, said the accusations were too serious to be ignored because of their implications for national security.

He maintained that the facts should be established “clearly and without fear or favour.”

Gwarzo said his relationship with the senator, spanning more than two decades, had given him a different impression of Buba’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,” he said.

He argued that the allegations were inconsistent with the senator he knew, pointing to Buba’s previous leadership of the Senate committee overseeing national security and intelligence.

“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 Buba should not be shielded from scrutiny.

He further stated, “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.”

The latest controversy comes against the backdrop of an earlier petition involving Buba.

Saturday Punch gathered that Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, wrote President Bola Tinubu on September 19, 2024, alleging that Buba, through an aide identified as Yahaya Ibrahim, facilitated the registration and funding of two individuals, Abubakar Idris and Zainab Gado, for the 2024 Hajj.

The governor’s petition alleged that Idris was suspected of involvement in banditry and kidnapping in Zamfara State.

According to the account, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) visited the Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board during the 2024 Hajj operations and requested the e-passports of Idris and Gado, who had been registered as intending pilgrims.

Gado’s passport had reportedly been released before the visit, and she had travelled for the pilgrimage, while Idris’ passport was handed over to the DSS.

Idris was subsequently detained, according to the report.

Records cited by the governor allegedly showed that both individuals were registered through Ibrahim, described as a senior legislative aide to Buba.

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

Saturday PUNCH also learnt that the DSS previously investigated aspects of the allegations surrounding the senator.

When contacted about the status of the matter, a spokesperson for the security agency did not disclose the outcome of its investigation.

The official said findings “would be published at the appropriate time, please.”