Viral video: Senator Shehu Buba speaks on ‘link to banditry’

 The lawmaker representing Bauchi South senatorial district in the National Assembly, Shehu Buba, has disowned a viral video linking himÿ to banditry, saying he’s prepared for a fair and just security scrutiny.

The lawmaker, who said bandit kingpins never at any time visited his Bauchi residence as alleged, also insisted he has nothing to hide and nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation.

He said bandit kingpins did not visit his residence in Bauchi as alleged by his opponents, and declared that the materials being circulated online were deliberately manipulated to damage his reputation.

“Philanthropy is not a political slogan for me – it is an obligation. Not every intervention attracts publicity, nor should it. Public service should be measured by lives touched, opportunities created and communities strengthened.

“It is deeply unfortunate when acts of compassion or legitimate security-related contacts are stripped of context and repackaged as evidence of wrongdoing.

“I welcome scrutiny, but scrutiny must be fair. I do not claim immunity from scrutiny. As a Senator, a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, currently chairing the Senate Committee on Livestock and Animal Husbandry, and now a gubernatorial candidate, I recognise that my actions and associations will be examined.

“That is democracy. But scrutiny must be based on facts. There is a difference between investigation and fabrication, between criticism and blackmail, and between political opposition and deliberate character assassination.

“Modern disinformation thrives on recycling old allegations, editing them, attaching new captions and redistributing them until repetition masquerades as evidence. Responsible citizens and journalists must resist this,” the lawmaker stated.

Buba made the denials Sunday in a statement entitled “Setting the Record Straight: My response to fabricated videos, false allegations and a sustained campaign of disinformation,” a copy of which was obtained by Blueprint in Abuja.

The lawmaker, who is the Bauchi state’s governorship candidate of theǰ Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, while the second showed different individuals displaying passports.

While explaining that a fact-check established that the viral videos combined two unrelated clips, the lawmaker said the individuals in the first video spoke Fulfulde, while those in the second spoke English.

He described the allegations as false, malicious and part of a coordinated campaign driven by financial motives and partisan interests rather than any genuine concern for truth or accountability.

The PRP stalwart challenged individuals and organisations with credible evidence of wrongdoing to make same available to the appropriate authorities.

To his supporters, he said: “Let us remain calm, disciplined and committed to the democratic process.”

 “For much of my public life, I have resisted the temptation to respond to every allegation, criticism or provocation directed at me. Citizens have a legitimate right to scrutinise those entrusted with public responsibility, and public officials must be prepared to account for their conduct.

“My election as Senator representing Bauchi South Senatorial District – and particularly my responsibility as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence – reinforced the need for restraint. National security demands discretion.

“Operational successes cannot always be publicised without jeopardising ongoing efforts, exposing sources or endangering individuals and communities involved in sensitive interventions.

“It was in that spirit that I initially declined to respond to the recent circulation of videos purporting to show “high-profile bandit kingpins” visiting my residence.

“However, the persistent recycling of these materials, accompanied by increasingly serious allegations, makes it necessary to place the facts before Nigerians,” he said.