Hassan subsequently identified the senator as Shehu Buba Umar, who represents Bauchi South in the Senate.

A local resident identified as Hassan has named Senator Shehu Buba Umar, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, as the politician he had previously referred to in allegations linking a serving senator to banditry and the alleged training of criminal elements.

Hassan made the allegations during an interview with prominent social media influencer D English Alhaji Media, @DEngliishalhaji, who had repeatedly asked him to disclose the identity of the senator behind the claims. The conversation was published as part of a series of discussions on insecurity in Nigeria.

At the beginning of the discussion, the influencer reminded Hassan that he had previously made allegations against a senator without revealing the politician’s identity.

“Today, I think it is high time you tell us the name of the senator that you are accusing of sponsoring banditry and everything you have said to us. Please, start with the name of the senator,” the influencer said.

Hassan subsequently identified the senator as Shehu Buba Umar, who represents Bauchi South in the Senate.

“My name is Hassan. Remember, I told you I am the citizen of Nigeria. I was born in Nigeria. So, today, we are going to talk about the allegation I am claiming against Senator Shehu Buba Umar, who is representing Bauchi South,” Hassan said.

He, however, cautioned that his allegations should not be accepted without scrutiny, urging Nigerians to examine the materials he claimed to have gathered.

“I’m not saying whatever I believe. No. You have to judge by yourself. And they don’t want to hear from me alone. We want to hear from them,” Hassan said.

Hassan alleged that some of the information he had gathered involved individuals associated with notorious bandit leader Dogo Gide.

He specifically mentioned a man identified as Baba Ngida, whom he described as a younger brother of Dogo Gide.

According to Hassan, Baba Ngida and another individual identified as Adam were allegedly brought to Abuja for training in drone operations and professional sniping.

Hassan further alleged that Adam was an aide to Senator Shehu Buba at the National Assembly at the time.

“Adam, he’s the PA of Senator Shehu Buba. He’s the PA in National Assembly at that time. I don’t know now,” Hassan alleged.

He claimed that the individuals were accommodated in Abuja and that the alleged training was connected to their activities as members of a bandit network.

Hassan said he had personal communication with Baba Ngida and claimed to have obtained voice recordings from conversations involving him and Adam.

The influencer, during the interview, said Hassan had previously sent him more than 10 voice notes in different languages relating to the allegations.

Hassan also alleged that Baba Ngida showed him photographs of military night-vision equipment allegedly in his possession.

“He told me there is some military night vision… I thought I sent you that pictures,” Hassan said.

According to Hassan, he alerted officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) after receiving the information but claimed that the security officials were reluctant to intervene because of the alleged political influence of those involved.

“I told him everything… There are some DSS… You know about this matter, but I don’t want to bring him into this matter because when I bring him into this matter, I take care of his life,” he alleged.

Hassan claimed the officials told him they knew the individual involved and described him as powerful.

“He said to me, Hassan, we can’t do anything in this matter because this person is powerful. We know him. We know his work,” Hassan alleged.

He further claimed that he subsequently facilitated telephone and video conversations involving Baba Ngida and Adam, which he said would form part of the materials supporting his allegations.

Hassan also introduced another individual identified as Bashir, whom he described as a close associate of Dogo Gide.

He alleged that Bashir had been with the bandit leader since childhood after his parents allegedly gave him to Dogo Gide to assist with cattle grazing.

“He is the boy of Dogo Gide… among the people of Dogo Gide, he is among the top, the oldest people staying with Dogo Gide,” Hassan alleged.

Hassan said Bashir had developed a close relationship with Dogo Gide and remained part of his network.

While discussing the allegations against Senator Shehu Buba, Hassan acknowledged that banditry in Nigeria predates the senator’s election to the Senate in 2023.

He said banditry had existed for more than a decade and stressed that he was not accusing the senator alone.

“This bandit is starting more than 10 to 15 years. Why are we only [talking about] him? I’m not against only him. A lot of politicians stand behind these things,” he said.

Hassan also said political office holders should not be shielded from investigation where credible evidence exists.

“If you don’t have any evidence with somebody, don’t talk about him. If you learn, if you know the law, nobody is above the law. Even me, I humble myself to the law,” he said.

He denied that his allegations were motivated by personal animosity towards Senator Shehu Buba or his family.

“I’m not doing this because somebody got against him or against his family or against anybody part of his family relative,” Hassan said.

He urged anyone with evidence of wrongdoing to report such matters to the appropriate authorities.

The allegations made by Hassan during the interview have not been independently verified. The purported voice recordings, photographs and identities of the individuals mentioned were also not independently authenticated based on the material available.

Previous Allegations Against Senator Buba

NaijaTrendCompass had on August 12, 2025, reported that Senator Shehu Umar Buba (APC–Bauchi South), Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, faced mounting criticism over a series of controversies.

These included an alleged peace deal with wanted terror kingpin Bello Turji, allegations of fuelling religious tensions in Plateau State, and past claims of sponsoring wanted bandits to the Hajj pilgrimage.

The senator also came under fire in Plateau State for allegedly stoking sectarian conflict between two Islamic sects in Jos.

Also, Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed sent a formal petition to President Bola Tinubu dated September 19, 2024, levelling these specific accusations against Senator Shehu Buba Umar.

Governor Mohammed’s petition alleged that Senator Buba, through an aide named Yahaya Ibrahim, registered and funded a suspected Zamfara bandit mastermind, Abubakar Idris, who was subsequently arrested by the DSS, and a woman named Zainab Aliyu Gado for the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage.

The petition further linked the senator to broader accusations of supporting terrorist networks, including the distribution of motorcycles to bandits and facilitating medical treatment for wounded fighters.

Senator Buba strongly denied all the accusations, labelling them as “baseless, fabricated, and malicious” political blackmail.

He clarified that he had no aide named Yahaya Ibrahim and explained that while he sponsors many individuals for Hajj annually, they are selected based on recommendations from community and religious leaders rather than personal vetting. He attributed the petition to an ongoing political feud between himself and the governor.

Also in September 2025, the Arewa Youth Movement (AYM), a prominent umbrella body of Northern youths, publicly called for Senator Buba’s investigation and prosecution.

Addressing a press conference in Abuja, the group urged the Inspector General of Police to probe Senator Buba over alleged ties to banditry and related criminal activities devastating the region.

The spokesman for the movement, Comrade Yahaya Garba, made explosive claims during the briefing, alleging that the senator had links to the distribution of motorcycles to bandits operating in Zamfara State. He further accused Umar of facilitating medical treatment for injured fighters and being connected to violent incidents in Plateau State.

The group warned that such allegations, if proven, could severely undermine ongoing efforts to combat insecurity in the North, where communities continue to grapple with relentless attacks, mass displacement and economic paralysis.

Highlighting the human cost of the crisis, the AYM noted that banditry and kidnapping had claimed countless lives, shattered families and crippled livelihoods across multiple states.

It stressed that holding public officials accountable is critical to restoring public confidence in Nigeria’s security institutions and upholding the rule of law.

In June, a civil society group, the North East Youth Action Against Anti-Democratic Governance, also raised concerns over the governorship ambition of Senator Shehu Buba, alleging religious bigotry and sympathy for terrorists.

The group argued that anyone accused of sponsoring or promoting terrorism should not be entrusted with positions of responsibility, citing a series of allegations and controversies surrounding the lawmaker.

Speaking at a press briefing, the group’s President, Comrade Aliyu Muda, said the organisation was committed to scrutinising the backgrounds and records of all governorship aspirants across the North-East to ensure that only credible candidates emerge for elective offices.

Also in June, the North East Youth Action Against Anti-Democratic Governance (NEYAAADG) strongly opposed any governorship ambition of the Bauchi South senator, insisting that his record in public office raised serious questions about his suitability to lead the state.

Addressing journalists in Bauchi on Saturday, the group’s president, Comrade Aliyu Muda, accused the senator of being entangled in a series of controversies ranging from alleged sympathy towards notorious bandits to religiously sensitive disputes that have sparked public outrage.

Among the allegations is Senator Buba’s alleged involvement in efforts to facilitate negotiations with feared bandit kingpin Bello Turji, a move critics described as an attempt to legitimise criminal elements responsible for years of bloodshed across northern Nigeria.

The senator has also come under fire over reports surrounding the construction of a mosque in Jos, Plateau State. The project attracted widespread attention following allegations that a church was demolished to pave the way for the mosque, claims that heightened religious tensions and triggered heated public debate.