A Nigerian civil society group, Rural Community Development Outreach (RCDO), has petitioned the U.S. Consulate over Senator Shehu Buba’s alleged ties with terrorism.
The group called on the consulate to investigate Senator Buba and suspend his U.S. visa. According to the petition, Senator Buba may have aided Abubakar Idris, a suspected terrorist arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS), by facilitating the suspect’s travel documentation, expediting his departure despite his criminal record.
RCDO called for both national and international scrutiny over the serious allegations, requesting both transparency and scrutiny of Buba, especially given his role as Chair of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence.
The petition, signed by RCDO’s National Coordinator, Ikenna Ellis Ezenekwe, calls on the consulate to deny or suspend Senator Buba’s U.S. visa as a precautionary measure.
Expressing alarm, RCDO said, “We have witnessed the devastating impact of terrorism in Nigeria, particularly in the North East, for over seventeen years. If these allegations are true, they represent a betrayal of national trust,” the petition reads.
Further, the petition highlighted an August 17, 2024, operation by the DSS in Bauchi State, during which agents reportedly arrested a known terrorism suspect, Abubakar Idris, just as he was preparing to embark on a pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia.
The RCDO also criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Senate President Godswill Akpabio, both of whom are reportedly aware of the DSS investigation. The organization argued that the lack of transparency and accountability in addressing these allegations compromises public trust and national security.
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