ABUJA, NIGERIA — SEPTEMBER 8, 2026 — The Igbo Community Association of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has issued a stern demand for the immediate arrest and investigation of Senator Shehu Buba, representing Bauchi South, over alleged associations with known terror suspects.
In a formal press statement released on Tuesday and jointly signed by President General Engr. (Nze) Ikenna Ellis-Ezenekwe and Secretary General Mazi Chinwoke Emmanuel Onah, the socio-cultural organization representing over 2.8 million Igbo residents in Abuja accused security agencies and the Presidency of maintaining a “two-tier system of justice.”
Allegations of Terrorism Financing and Double Standards
The association condemned what it described as an “unconscionable failure” by the Department of State Services (DSS) and law enforcement authorities to act on reported security alerts linking the lawmaker—who serves on the Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence—to persons suspected of terrorism financing.
Drawing a sharp contrast, the leadership pointed to the treatment of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), who was prosecuted and handed a life sentence.
“Compare this to the treatment of Nnamdi Kanu — arrested, prosecuted, and sentenced to life imprisonment by Nigerian courts without proof that he ever funded, armed, or directed a single attack on this country,” the statement read. “If the machinery of the Nigerian state can move with such speed and finality against Kanu on that record, it has no excuse — none — for its paralysis in the face of far more direct allegations against a sitting senator.”
Core Demands to the Federal Government
The Igbo Community Association FCT outlined three main demands to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration:
- The immediate arrest and thorough investigation of Senator Shehu Buba by the DSS and relevant security agencies.
- Full public accountability regarding actions taken by federal authorities since receiving security alerts on the matter.
- Expedited prosecution of Senator Buba with the same severity applied in high-profile security cases if investigations substantiate the claims.
Senator Buba Rejects Claims as Political Disinformation
In response to the resurfacing accusations and circulating viral videos, Senator Shehu Buba has strongly denied any involvement in banditry or terror financing.
In an official rebuttal, the lawmaker labeled the video clips as fabricated, manipulated, and part of an ongoing smear campaign orchestrated by political opponents ahead of the 2027 elections. Buba stated that legal proceedings and criminal petitions against key individuals behind the videos have already been instituted in Abuja courts and foreign jurisdictions, maintaining that his security engagements were strictly non-kinetic, official dialogue efforts backed by relevant security institutions.
