A fresh controversy over allegations linking Senator Shehu Buba Umar to banditry has intensified, with former military leader Ibrahim Babangida calling for the authorities to thoroughly investigate the claims.
Babangida, in a post on X, described allegations made by a young man against the Bauchi South senator as “very disturbing” and called on the National Assembly, the Department of State Services (DSS) and the military to invite the individual for questioning.
“The allegations made by that young man against Sen. Shehu Buba is very disturbing,” Babangida wrote. “Therefore, I am calling on the Senate, the DSS, & the Military to invite him for questioning because this is a national issue that demands thorough investigations for the sake of National Security.”
The call comes amid a growing social-media controversy surrounding videos and allegations concerning Senator Buba, a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence and the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) candidate for governor of Bauchi State in the 2027 election.
The controversy escalated after a man identified as Hassan made allegations during an interview with social-media personality D English Alhaji.
Hassan reportedly accused Buba and other unnamed politicians of facilitating or supporting criminal activities in northern Nigeria. Among the claims attributed to him was an allegation that individuals linked to wanted bandit leader Dogo Gide were brought to Abuja for specialised training through an aide allegedly connected to the senator.
Other social-media posts have made much more serious claims, including suggestions that suspected bandits visited or stayed at the senator's residence.
The allegations have not been established as facts, and Buba has consistently denied having any relationship with bandits or supporting criminal activities.
Buba has now publicly rejected the allegations, describing the videos circulating online as part of what he called a campaign of misinformation and character assassination.
According to the senator, the viral footage presented as evidence of bandits visiting his residence was actually created by combining unrelated videos.
He said one portion showed Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, while another showed entirely different individuals displaying passports.
Buba said the people in the two videos spoke different languages and were not part of the same event.
The senator has challenged journalists, fact-checkers and members of the public to independently verify the footage rather than accept social-media interpretations of it.
An investigation by PRNigeria also questioned the authenticity of the narrative attached to the viral video.
According to its fact-check, the footage was compiled from two unrelated video segments. The first showed men who had visited Senator Buba in 2023, while the second showed different individuals displaying international passports.
PRNigeria reported that the men in the first clip were Kaduna-based businessmen and pilgrims who had visited Buba to express appreciation and found no evidence establishing that they were bandits. It consequently classified the viral claim as “False and Misleading.”
That finding does not, however, independently resolve every allegation made by Hassan or other individuals. Those allegations would require separate investigation and evidence.
Buba has also connected the current controversy to an earlier legal dispute. He said he petitioned the Nigeria Police Force in September 2025 after alleged attempts to extort money from him and said five suspects were subsequently arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to Buba, the case, identified as Charge No. FHC/ABJ/CR/526/2025, involves allegations including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, criminal defamation, advance-fee fraud and extortion. He said the matter remains before the court, with a further hearing scheduled for September 29, 2026.
The senator has therefore argued that the latest accusations should be viewed against the background of what he describes as a continuing campaign to damage his reputation.
Babangida's intervention has now added a new dimension to the controversy. Rather than treating the allegations solely as a political or social-media dispute, his call places emphasis on national security and the need for the appropriate authorities to establish the facts.
His position is that the person making the allegations should be questioned by relevant authorities so that investigators can determine the source of the claims, identify any evidence supporting them and establish whether there is any genuine national-security threat.
The call is particularly significant because Buba previously served as chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, making allegations of links to armed groups especially sensitive.
The controversy has produced sharply opposing narratives. On one side are individuals demanding an investigation into the allegations and questioning why security agencies have not taken stronger action.
On the other side, Buba maintains that he is the victim of a coordinated misinformation campaign and insists that the videos being circulated have been manipulated or taken out of context.
With the allegations involving national security, banditry and a serving senator, the most consequential question is no longer what is being said on social media, but what can actually be established through independent investigation and admissible evidence.
For now, there is no established finding that Senator Shehu Buba sponsored or supported banditry. The senator denies the allegations, while fact-checking of the viral video has found that at least the footage presented as evidence of bandits visiting his residence was misleading.
Babangida's latest intervention therefore puts renewed pressure on the relevant security and legislative authorities to determine the facts and ensure that any genuine national-security allegation is investigated without political interference.
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