A formal correspondence from the Bauchi State Government House, dated September 19, 2024, has resurfaced showing Governor Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed directly petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over allegations that Senator Shehu Buba Umar enabled banditry through Hajj sponsorship arrangements.
The letter, signed personally by Governor Mohammed and addressed to the President at Aso Rock, detailed a security report received from the Bauchi State Muslims Pilgrims Welfare Board concerning one Abubakar Idris, a suspected bandit allegedly involved in kidnapping activities in Zamfara State.
According to the petition, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) visited the Pilgrims Welfare Board during the 2024 Hajj operations and demanded the e-passports of one Abubakar Idris and one Zainab Aliyu Gado. While Zainab Aliyu had already traveled for the pilgrimage, Idris was detained by the DSS.
Records before the Board reportedly showed that both pilgrims were registered through one Yahaya Ibrahim, described as a Senior Legislative Aide to Senator Shehu Buba Umar, who represents Bauchi South Senatorial District.
The governor expressed concern that this suggested the senator’s “complicity in supporting, enabling and empowering bandits to cause mayhem and go unscathed”. Governor Mohammed urged President Tinubu to order a thorough investigation, arrest, and prosecution of all those found involved.
Senator Buba, who at the time served as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, swiftly dismissed the allegations as “baseless, fabricated, and malicious”.
In a press statement issued by his Legislative Assistant, Hassan Gajin Duguri, Senator Buba characterized the governor’s petition as “both laughable and regrettable”.
He made three key clarifications. First, he stated he does not employ any Senior Legislative Aide named Yahaya Ibrahim. Second, he explained that his Hajj sponsorships are based on recommendations from elders, community leaders, and religious figures, and he does not personally screen beneficiaries.
Third, he noted that Hajiya Zainab Ali was screened and permitted to travel, while Abubakar Idris was arrested for further investigation without any interference from his office.
Senator Buba also accused Governor Mohammed of ingratitude, recalling how he personally introduced the governor to President Tinubu through Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in 2019 when Bala Mohammed faced political challenges.
Nearly two years later, former Minister of Youth and Sports Solomon Dalung has called on the DSS to disclose the outcome of its investigation. Dalung insisted Senator Buba should not be regarded as guilty without credible evidence, but argued that “the senator’s denial alone should not bring the matter to an end”.
He questioned what the alleged relationship between Senator Buba and Idris entailed, how Idris was registered for the Hajj, and whether security agencies established any connection between the two men. Dalung noted that the issue became more significant because Senator Buba was, at the time, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
More recently, a man identified as Hassan has accused Senator Buba and other politicians of supporting banditry in northern Nigeria.
The senator responded by explaining he had previously assisted Hassan, an orphan he once helped with schooling and provided a bicycle, who later abandoned his education.
Buba disclosed he has petitioned the Inspector-General of Police, leading to the arrest of four suspects in Kano, Bauchi, and Abuja, while Hassan has reportedly fled to Niger Republic. Security and intelligence officials, including the Office of the National Security Adviser, reportedly provided information that did not support the banditry allegations repeatedly circulated against the senator.
On October 30, 2025, several suspects were arraigned on charges including criminal conspiracy, cyberstalking, defamation, advance fee fraud, and extortion. As of the time of reporting, no formal outcome of the DSS investigation into Abubakar Idris has been made public.
Discussion about this post