247ureports Abuja/Bauchi — September 3, 2026

A local resident has publicly named Senator Shehu Buba Umar, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence and lawmaker representing Bauchi South, as the politician he had previously accused — without naming him — of sponsoring banditry and training criminal elements in Northern Nigeria.

The resident, identified only as Hassan, made the disclosure during an interview with social media influencer D English Alhaji Media, who pressed him to finally reveal the identity of the senator he had referenced in earlier commentary on insecurity in the North. The interview, published this week, has reignited a controversy that has trailed Senator Buba since shortly after he assumed the security committee chairmanship in 2023.

A Pattern of Allegations Since 2024

Hassan’s claim is the latest in a string of accusations linking the senator to armed groups operating in Zamfara, Plateau and Bauchi states. Chief among them:

• The Hajj registration case (2024): Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed formally petitioned President Bola Tinubu on September 19, 2024, alleging that Senator Buba’s senior legislative aide, Yahaya Ibrahim, registered and funded the Hajj pilgrimage of a suspected Zamfara bandit mastermind, Abubakar Idris, alongside a woman identified as Zainab Aliyu Gado. Idris was reportedly intercepted and arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) during Hajj processing in October 2024. Senator Buba’s camp has dismissed the petition as politically motivated, arguing it stemmed from a personal feud with Governor Mohammed after the withdrawal of the senator’s chieftaincy title.
• Alleged Bello Turji peace deal: The senator has faced accusations of brokering an unauthorized peace arrangement with Bello Turji, a wanted terrorist kingpin operating in the North-West, raising questions about a security committee chairman negotiating independently with a designated criminal actor.
• Motorcycle and cash transfer claims: In September 2025, the Arewa Youth Movement (AYM) petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, citing video material it said showed motorcycles and cash being moved from the senator’s residence to bandits in Zamfara. AYM spokesperson Yahaya Muhammed Garba also alleged the senator facilitated medical treatment for wounded fighters.
• Plateau sectarian tensions: Separately, the senator has been accused of stoking tension between rival Islamic groups in Jos over a mosque construction project situated near an existing place of worship, though this allegation is distinct from the banditry claims.

Senate Under Pressure to Act

As early as October 2024, a coalition of youth groups petitioned Senate President Godswill Akpabio demanding that Senator Buba step aside from the security committee chairmanship pending investigation. The coalition argued that a lawmaker under scrutiny for alleged terrorism links could not simultaneously oversee the chamber’s security and intelligence portfolio. There is no public indication that the Senate leadership has acted on that demand, and Senator Buba remains chairman of the committee.

The Senator’s Defense

Senator Buba and his allies have consistently rejected the allegations as fabricated and politically driven. In a piece published via PRNigeria in September 2025, a supporter described the recurring claims as the work of “faceless groups” with no verifiable history, arguing the accusations were recycled smears timed to damage the senator’s standing. The senator’s media aide has separately characterized Governor Mohammed’s petition as baseless and accused the governor of using proxies to undermine him following a political falling-out.

It is important to note that none of the allegations outlined above have been tested in court, and no formal criminal charges are known to have been filed against Senator Buba as of this report.

Why It Matters

The controversy lands against a backdrop of broader public frustration over Nigeria’s security establishment. Zamfara State Governor Dauda Lawal has said on multiple occasions that authorities know the identities, family networks and operational bases of bandit groups in his state, yet lack adequate federal support to act on that intelligence. Islamic cleric Sheikh Ahmad Gumi has likewise said the government is familiar with many bandits by name and location. Critics argue that a sitting Senate security committee chairman facing repeated, unresolved banditry-linked allegations — set against this backdrop of admitted state knowledge of bandit networks — raises fresh questions about how thoroughly national security appointments are vetted, and whether political considerations are allowed to outweigh security concerns in Nigeria’s National Assembly.

This report will be updated as new developments emerge. Allegations referenced in this report remain unproven and are attributed to the named sources and groups above.