Senator Buba advocates peace after arrest of defamators
By: Zagazola Makama
Senator Shehu Buba has commended security agencies for the arrest of the individuals behind a coordinated defamatory campaign that targeted him and others.
Buba, Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence, urged Nigerians to remain peaceful, verify information before sharing, and focus on issues affecting society.
“I have always stood for peace and the welfare of our people. I deny these baseless allegations and will continue to work in favour of Bauchi South,” the lawmaker assured.
Security agents recently apprehended some social media influencers allegedly behind a smear campaign against political office holders, including Senator Buba.
The arrests followed an intensive investigation involving the monitoring of social media posts and accounts linked to the spread of manipulated content and hate speech.
Buba, in particular, was accused of links with banditry. Despite his repeated denials, the attackers continued to malign him across various platforms before the authorities intervened.
The perpetrators used doctored video clips to produce and distribute fake news aimed at damaging the lawmaker’s reputation both in the legislature and ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Following their arrest in northern states, some of the influencers admitted to being misled by persons they had trusted. Those granted bail have issued apologies through videos and written statements on their social media pages.
In a video, one of the influencers, Nasiru Ontop, said: “We made a grave mistake by trusting Kibanna, someone we barely knew. His documents were fake. It wasn’t until our arrest that we began to question his authenticity.
His TikTok account has now been deleted. We acted on misinformation and forged documents, and for that, we apologise to Senator Shehu Umar Buba and everyone affected,” he added.
Abdulrashid Abdullahi Kano, who operated under a Facebook page ‘Vanguard Hausa,’ also issued a statement: “We have confirmed that the video accusing Senator Shehu Buba Umar is false and malicious.
“It was fabricated by enemies of peace to tarnish his image. Senator Buba has consistently promoted peace and reconciliation, working with clerics and community leaders to resolve conflicts in Bauchi South.”
