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By 247ureports.com
More than a month after the Department of State Services (DSS) said it would make its findings public “at the appropriate time,” there is still no public account of what has been investigated, what evidence has been examined, or what conclusions, if any, have been reached in the case of Bauchi South Senator Shehu Buba Umar.
The Allegations, and the Denial
The allegations were made publicly by a man identified as Hassan Husseini through the platform of content creator D English Alhaji. They link the senator to people accused of banditry and terrorism financing, and include claims that associates of bandit leader Dogo Gide were taken to Abuja for specialised training facilitated by one of the senator’s aides. None of this has been proved. Buba, who is also the Peoples Redemption Party’s governorship candidate in Bauchi State, has denied sponsoring, financing or arming bandits, and has described the claims as a politically motivated campaign built on edited videos and anonymous allegations.
What the Senator Has Done
On September 14, Buba said he had voluntarily presented himself to the DSS, the Nigeria Police Force and the Defence Intelligence Agency for investigation, through a legal team led by former Nigerian Bar Association president Yakubu Maikyau, SAN. “I have nothing to hide, and I have nothing to fear from any legitimate investigation,” he said. He also said he had petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, that four suspects had been arrested in connection with the matter, and that a complaint had been lodged with INTERPOL over one of his accusers, whom he says is operating from the Niger Republic. “If there is evidence against me, let it be produced. If there is none, those who have deliberately manufactured and circulated these allegations should equally be held accountable under the law,” he said.
What the DSS Has Said
The DSS has said its investigation would be made public at the appropriate time. When one outlet asked about the status of the probe, a spokesperson for the agency declined to disclose the outcome. Earlier reporting indicated the agency tied its timeline in part to a separate inquiry connected to 2024 Hajj registrations, after a petition cited in the coverage alleged that two individuals were registered through a senior legislative aide to the senator. Those claims too remain allegations. The police have said that no formal complaint had reached the Bauchi command at an early stage.
The Questions Still Open
Reports describing the senator’s position state that no finding of criminal wrongdoing has been established, and that the agencies have not publicly disclosed the outcome of any investigation. That leaves several questions unanswered: whether the DSS, police and DIA are running a joint or separate inquiry; whether the senator has been questioned; what happened to the four people the senator says were arrested; and what is being done about the accuser who is said to be abroad. A security agency may reasonably decline to discuss an active investigation, and the DSS has said it will publish when ready. But with the senator publicly welcoming scrutiny and the allegations still circulating, the absence of any update is fuelling suspicion and speculation on all sides.
Why It Matters
The stakes are not small. The senator is a former chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, a body that oversees the very agencies now examining him, and he is contesting a governorship in 2027. If the allegations are false, a transparent investigation would clear his name and expose those who promoted them. If there is credible evidence, the law should take its course. Either way, allegations are not proof, and nobody should be declared guilty on the strength of a viral video. The point that civil society and ordinary Nigerians are making is a narrower one: serious claims about terror links should not be left unresolved because the person involved holds political office.
What’s Next
As of this report, 247ureports.com had not located a new DSS statement on the case, and the senator’s media team had not responded to a request for an update.
