The representative of Bauchi South Senatorial District, Shehu Buba, has denied that bandit kingpins visited his residence, contrary to the videos circulating online, insisting that the materials were manipulated and did not constitute evidence of any wrongdoing.

He challenged journalists and Nigerians to verify the origins of the viral videos, saying that a fact-check had shown they were a combination of unrelated footage recorded at different times.

According to him, one of the clips featured Kaduna-based Hajj returnees who visited his residence in 2023, while another showed different individuals displaying passports.

He added that the people in the two videos spoke different languages, with those in the first speaking Fulfulde and those in the second speaking English.

Consequently, 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.

According to him, the latest episode emerged in August 2026 when a content creator known as “D English Alhaji” circulated videos alleging that bandit kingpins visited his residence.

In the meantime, Buba said he has submitted a formal criminal complaint to the Public Prosecutor at the Tribunal of First Instance in Niamey, Niger Republic, through a legal practitioner in that country, seeking the prosecution of Hassan Hussein for defamation and insult via electronic communication.

Calling for a fair scrutiny, he regretted that his acts of compassion or legitimate security-related contacts were stripped of context and repackaged as evidence of wrongdoing.

He traced the beginning of the allegations to September 15, 2024, when Umar Shayi led a militia group purported to be hunters working for the Bauchi State Agency for Vigilante and Youth Empowerment, which he said reportedly killed two charcoal sellers.

“Following my intervention, the Bauchi State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Abubakar Bununu, publicly linked my name to banditry – an allegation I rejected as false and unsupported by evidence,” he recalled.

“Subsequently, Governor Bala Mohammed petitioned President Bola Tinubu that I sponsored a ‘bandit kingpin’ to perform the 2024 Hajj through an aide named Yahaya Ibrahim.”