Shehu Buba, the senator representing Bauchi South, denied allegations that linked him to bandit kingpins and the sponsorship of banditry in northern Nigeria.
The claims circulated online and alleged that high-profile bandit leaders visited his residence. They also alleged that he sponsored some of them for the Hajj pilgrimage.
In a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja, Buba said he had faced propaganda, false narratives and manipulated videos since 2024. He added that he had taken legal action against those behind the claims in courts in Nigeria and Niamey in Niger Republic.
Meanwhile, Buba noted that the campaign intensified after he became the Peoples Redemption Party governorship candidate in Bauchi State. He said opponents then recirculated the manipulated videos.
“My decision to leave the All Progressives Congress for the Peoples Redemption Party, under whose platform I am pursuing my gubernatorial aspiration, should be debated on policies, competence and vision—not on fabricated allegations,” the statement read.
Furthermore, he stated that it was deeply unfortunate when acts of compassion or legitimate security-related contacts were stripped of context and repackaged as evidence of wrongdoing.
Buba welcomed scrutiny but insisted it must remain fair. As a senator, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, the current chairman of the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, and a gubernatorial candidate, he recognised that his actions and associations would face examination. He described that process as democracy.
However, he stressed that scrutiny must rest on facts. He drew a clear line between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate character assassination.
In addition, Buba explained that disinformation campaigns often recycle old allegations, edit existing materials and attach new captions before circulating them repeatedly as evidence. He urged journalists and civil society organisations to fact-check the videos and reject attempts to mislead the public.
