The controversy surrounding Senator Shehu Buba and alleged links to banditry has taken another dramatic turn, with the Bauchi South senator coming out hard against his accusers and demanding evidence to back the explosive claims.
This one is getting hotter.
Senator Shehu Buba is refusing to quietly watch the allegations against him spread across social media.
The Bauchi South lawmaker has dismissed viral videos allegedly showing bandit kingpins visiting his residence, describing the materials as manipulated footage deliberately put together to create a damaging impression about him.
And he is asking the question many Nigerians will want answered:
Where is the evidence that I sponsor banditry?
Buba insists that there is none.
According to the senator, the videos being circulated online are not a genuine recording of bandit kingpins visiting him. He said a fact-check showed that the clips were recorded at different times and involved different people.
One of the videos, he explained, allegedly showed Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023.
The other, according to him, featured completely different individuals displaying passports.
But Buba went further.
He pointed out that the people in the two videos were even speaking different languages — those in one clip spoke Fulfulde, while those in the other spoke English.
So how did the two videos suddenly become evidence of bandit kingpins visiting a senator?
That is the question Buba wants his accusers to answer.
‘This is a coordinated campaign against me’
The senator did not mince words while describing the controversy.
He called the allegations false, malicious and part of a coordinated campaign allegedly motivated by financial interests and partisan politics.
The latest firestorm reportedly began in August 2026 after a content creator identified as “D English Alhaji” circulated videos claiming that bandit kingpins had visited Buba’s residence.
The material quickly travelled across social media, triggering fresh questions about the senator’s alleged relationship with individuals accused of criminal activities.
But instead of simply denying the allegations, Buba has decided to fight back.
And this time, he is taking the battle to court.
Buba heads to court in Niger Republic
In what could turn into a much bigger legal battle, the senator disclosed that he has filed a formal criminal complaint before the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey, Niger Republic.
The complaint was reportedly submitted through a lawyer in Niger Republic and seeks the prosecution of Hassan Hussein over alleged defamation and insult through electronic communication.
In other words, Buba is not just saying, “I didn’t do it.”
He is saying, “If you say I did it, prove it — and be ready to answer in court.”
But this isn’t the first time Buba’s name has been dragged into a banditry controversy
The senator also went back to an earlier incident that has continued to follow him.
Buba traced the beginning of the allegations to September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi allegedly led a militia group described as hunters working for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment.
The group was reportedly accused of killing two charcoal sellers.
Buba said he intervened in the matter, but instead of receiving praise for his intervention, his name was subsequently linked to banditry by Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu.
The senator said he rejected the allegation as false and unsupported by evidence.
Then came another serious allegation.
Buba recalled that Governor Bala Mohammed petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, alleging that he had sponsored a “bandit kingpin” to perform the 2024 Hajj through an aide identified as Yahaya Ibrahim.
Those are serious accusations.
And now, years later, Buba says his name is still being dragged into the same controversy.
‘Don’t twist my acts of compassion’
Buba’s defence is also centred around what he described as the deliberate removal of context from his interactions with people.
He argued that humanitarian interventions, acts of compassion and legitimate security-related contacts should not automatically be interpreted as proof of criminal connections.
That argument, however, is unlikely to end the debate.
For critics, the questions surrounding the senator’s alleged contacts require answers.
For Buba, the answer is straightforward: bring the evidence.
And that is where this story gets particularly interesting.
The allegations are serious enough to demand proper scrutiny, but viral videos alone may not settle the matter — especially where questions have been raised about when the footage was recorded, who appears in it and whether separate clips were combined.
For now, Senator Shehu Buba has drawn a line in the sand.
He denies sponsoring banditry.
He says the viral videos have been manipulated or taken out of context.
He has challenged Nigerians and journalists to verify the footage.
And he has already taken legal action against at least one person he believes defamed him.
But the big question remains: Is this a case of a senator being deliberately framed with misleading videos, or is there more to the allegations than what has surfaced online?
That is the part Nigerians will be watching closely.
What do you think — should Buba’s accusers produce the evidence, or should the allegations be investigated much more deeply?
Drop your thoughts in the comments.
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