Solomon Selcap Dalung, the former Minister of Youth and Sports Development, has said that the allegations surrounding Shehu Umar Buba Umar, Senator representing Bauchi South and Governorship candidate of the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) deserves a proper examination, irrespective of party affiliation or political sympathy.
The former minister said this in his page that no one had said Buba was guilty because he had denied the allegation and no court had convicted him.
‘If the allegations are false, the appropriate thing is to clear his name. But if there is credible evidence behind them, then this is not merely a disagreement between politicians. It becomes a matter concerning the integrity of Nigeria’s security architecture
‘In September 2024, Governor Bala Mohammed petitioned the authorities over allegations that Buba had facilitated and supported banditry, including the registration of a suspected bandit, Abubakar Idris, for the 2024 Hajj. Senator Buba rejected the allegations as baseless and malicious. He explained that he sponsors pilgrims based on recommendations from elders, community leaders and religious figures’, he submitted.
He said that time the matter became even more disturbing because the man at the centre of the allegation, Abubakar Idris, was not presented in those reports as an ordinary Hajj pilgrim. He added, ‘Security reports cited at the time described Idris as a notorious bandit suspected of involvement in banditry and kidnapping activities in Zamfara State. The DSS reportedly arrested him in August 2024 as he was preparing to travel to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and took possession of his passport. Civil society groups subsequently described Idris as a wanted terrorist and called on the DSS to make public the outcome of its investigation into the allegations surrounding his alleged connection with Senator Buba.
‘At the time these allegations surfaced, Senator Shehu Buba Umar was Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence. It is one of the most sensitive positions in the National Assembly, dealing directly with issues around the nation’s security and intelligence architecture’
‘If an allegation that a serving chairman of that committee had any form of relationship with a notorious bandit were ever established to be true, the implications would go far beyond Senator Buba as an individual. How did such a relationship exist? What kind of access did the person have? What information, if any, could have been compromised? Were security operations affected? Could intelligence have reached criminal networks? Could a person suspected of participating in banditry and kidnapping have gained access to political protection or official channels?
‘I find it difficult to understand why this matter should simply disappear from public discussion. There were reports that the DSS was investigating the matter. A civil society organisation later called for the findings of that investigation to be made public. Yet Nigerians have not been given a clear public account of what that investigation eventually established.
‘Now another allegation has surfaced. But that does not make the older questions disappear. What exactly was the relationship between Senator Buba and Abubakar Idris? Who facilitated Idris’s registration for Hajj? Who nominated him? Why was a suspected bandit from Zamfara registered through the Bauchi pilgrimage system? Was the DSS investigation concluded?
‘DSS should clarify the status and outcome of its investigation. If an investigation was conducted, Nigerians deserve to know whether it was concluded and what it established. Sensitive intelligence may not be made public, but the existence and conclusion of an investigation should not remain a mystery indefinitely.
‘The National Assembly should consider an independent review of the matter. This is particularly important because of Senator Buba’s position at the time as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence. Where a matter touches both a legislator and the country’s security architecture, there should be sufficient independence to inspire public confidence.
‘The relevant Hajj authorities should explain the process through which Abubakar Idris was registered and sponsored. Who nominated him? Who approved the sponsorship? What documentation was presented? Were security checks conducted, and what did they reveal?
‘If the allegations are found to have no basis, the authorities should say so clearly and publicly. Senator Buba should not be left permanently under a cloud of suspicion because an allegation was made and never conclusively resolved. But if evidence establishes wrongdoing, the law should take its course regardless of who is involved. Political office, parliamentary status or personal connections should provide no shield against accountability.
‘Nigeria needs a clearer institutional protocol for dealing with allegations that politicians or public officials have links with individuals suspected of terrorism, banditry or organised crime. Such allegations should trigger prompt, impartial investigation, proper documentation and, where appropriate, public clarification.
‘If he is innocent, let a proper investigation establish that and put the matter to rest once and for all. But if evidence exists that a serving senator, particularly one who was Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, had knowingly assisted or maintained a relationship with a notorious bandit, then Nigerians have a right to know the truth’
‘We’re not saying that senator Shehu Umar Buba should be presumed guilty. But because if he is innocent, he deserves to be cleared. And if he is not, Nigeria deserves to know’.