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SCSN Reacts to Allegations Linking Senator Shehu Buba Umar to Banditry, Urges DSS, ONSA Probe
SCSN Reacts to Allegations Linking Senator Shehu Buba Umar to Banditry, Urges DSS, ONSA Probe
The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has reacted to renewed allegations linking Senator Shehu Buba Umar to banditry and terrorism, urging security agencies to establish the facts surrounding the claims while cautioning against the politicisation of national security matters.
The Council, in a statement issued on Monday, called on the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Department of State Services (DSS) to conduct a thorough and independent investigation into the allegations involving the senator.
The development follows renewed calls for greater transparency over the matter, after former Minister of Sports, Solomon Dalung, urged the DSS to make public the outcome of its investigation into allegations linking Senator Umar to banditry.
Against this backdrop, the SCSN said the seriousness of the allegations demanded a careful, evidence-based approach capable of protecting national security while avoiding speculation or politically motivated campaigns.
“The Supreme Council for Shari’ah in Nigeria (SCSN) has followed with deep concern the renewed allegations linking Senator Shehu Buba Umar to acts of banditry and terrorism.
“In view of the grave nature of these allegations and their potentially far-reaching implications for national security, the Council considers it necessary to once again restate its position and urge caution against the politicisation of security matters, unsubstantiated speculation and campaigns of calumny that could undermine public confidence and distract from the collective effort to combat terrorism and banditry in Nigeria.
“For decades, the Council has remained at the forefront of engaging, advising and constructively pressuring successive governments on the urgent need to decisively address terrorism, insurgency, banditry and other forms of violent criminality in Nigeria.
“From the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, through that of President Muhammadu Buhari, and now under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Council has consistently pursued this objective through direct engagements with relevant authorities, formal representations, public statements and sustained advocacy.
“Throughout the years of the Boko Haram insurgency and the more recent escalation of banditry and other violent crimes, the SCSN has consistently emphasised the sanctity and inviolability of human life. We have made it abundantly clear that every innocent life is sacred, whether Muslim, Christian or of any other faith or background.
“The Council has repeatedly and unequivocally condemned the barbaric, inhuman and criminal acts perpetrated by terrorists, bandits and all other agents of violence.
“Kidnapping, murder, destruction of communities and all forms of terror can never be justified by religion, ethnicity, politics or any other consideration.
“It was within the context of the Council’s sustained engagements on finding lasting solutions to Nigeria’s security crisis that, from late 2023, we intensified consultations with relevant security and government institutions, particularly the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
“Like other responsible and concerned organisations seeking solutions to the nation’s security challenges, the Council engaged relevant stakeholders on the need to complement military operations with credible non-kinetic approaches capable of addressing the underlying drivers and dynamics of terrorism and banditry.
“It was through this process that the Council came to engage with Senator Shehu Buba Umar in his capacity at the time as Chairman of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence,” the SCSN stated.
The Council’s intervention places renewed attention on the need for security-related allegations involving public officials to be handled through established investigative and legal processes rather than political confrontation.
The SCSN maintained that Nigeria’s prolonged battle against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes requires cooperation among government institutions, security agencies, civil society organisations and other stakeholders.
It also stressed that allegations capable of affecting national security should neither be ignored nor allowed to become instruments for political attacks, insisting that credible investigations remain the appropriate avenue for determining the facts.
The Council’s call for an independent investigation therefore puts the responsibility on the relevant security authorities to establish whether there is any substance to the allegations against Senator Umar and, where necessary, take appropriate action based on the findings.
