Fact-check: Are High-Profile Bandits Really on ‘Break’ in a Senator’s House?
Claim: A viral video circulating on Facebook, X and Instagram claims to show high-profile bandit kingpins taking a “break” in the residence of an unnamed Nigerian senator.
The video was posted by a content creator, D English Alhaji who describes himself as a conflict reporter and advocate for a safe society. It was accompanied by the text: “These are high profile bandit kingpins in a senator house????????????????????. Dey are on break here.”
However, the post did not identify the alleged senator whose residence was purportedly being used by the men, despite several commenters asking the content creator to name the politician.
DailyPost also published a report based on the video, crediting the content creator.
What the Video Shows
In the opening section, several men dressed in traditional Northern attire are seen sitting around a dining area in a well-furnished residence. A white sack containing what appears to be clothes is also visible among them.
The men are heard speaking in Fulfulde. One of them says:
“Is it the money right there? Where are you moving with huge amount of money? For me, if I am travelling, I don’t hold much money with me. What if you lose it? How will you feel?”
Another portion of the video contains a statement directed at Fulani people:
“If you are a Fulani man, remove your hand from stealing. Allow them to be killed alongside the other criminals.”
The video later switches to a different scene involving two men who appear different from those in the opening section.
The two men are seen displaying Nigerian international passports while speaking mainly in English and occasionally switching to Hausa.
In another segment, one of the men walks outside to a compound where a vehicle is parked. He opens the vehicle, retrieves two passports and records the surroundings.
The details of the international passports are thus: FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
PASSPORT
NGA
4G
37
A12979041
A 5.1K
YUSUF
KABIR
NIGERIAN
01 JAN/JAN 87
M
685
AKWANGA
LAF
22 JAN/JAN 25
21 JAN/JAN 30
639
A129793618NGA8701015M3001215<<<06 P<NGAYUSUF<<KABIR
FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
NGA
LAWAL
LISMAN SHEHU
NIGERIAN
01 JAN/JAN 85
5.1K
AKWANGA
LAFIA
24 JAN/JAN 25
23 JAN/JAN 30
A13078017
685
PONGALAWAL<<USMAN<SHEHU
A130780119NGA8501019M3001237
He also shows what appears to be a siren remote inside the vehicle and says:
“Can you see? Ka gan ko?” See big mansion, see siren, so don’t fuck me down.”
Verification: To verify the claim, PRNigeria subjected screenshots from the viral video to a reverse-image search using TinEye, an OSINT tool.
The search did not reveal any credible report from any other authoritative source to validate claims from the original source.
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DailyPost was the only identified major media report based on the footage. However, it credited the content creator and did not independently establish the identity of the alleged senator or verify that the residence belonged to a senator.
PRNigeria also established that the alleged senator was not named in the original claim or the text accompanying the video.
Similarly, images of characters from the the video were screenshotted and ran against public record of Bandits whose identity may have surfaced online, but there was no result to confirm or deny the characters culpability to the content creators claim. However, the presence of wades of cash in a sack remains suspect as kidnappers often demand for ransom in raw cash.
Also, a close examination of the footage shows that it appears to have been compiled from different video segments.
The first section features several men dressed in traditional Northern clothing, sitting and conversing in Fulfulde inside a residence.
The later section features two apparently different men displaying international passports and speaking predominantly in English.
There is no clear evidence establishing that both groups were recorded at the same time, in the same circumstances or as part of the same event.
The apparent lack of continuity between the scenes raises questions about whether separate footage was merged to support the claim.
However, the differences in appearance, language and conduct alone cannot establish the identities or occupations of the individuals shown.
Although the residence appears substantial and a vehicle fitted with what looks like a siren is visible, these details do not prove that the property belongs to a senator.
Further independent verification by PRNigeria revealed that the men seen in traditional Hausa attire in the viral video were pilgrims who paid a thank-you visit to Senator Shehu Buba Umar, representing Bauchi South Senatorial District, in 2023.
The visitors were identified as Alhaji Isa Usman and Alhaji Abubakar Bula, Kaduna-based businessmen with no known history of involvement in banditry, terrorism or other criminal activities.
PRNigeria also contacted one of Senator Buba’s aides, who said he had seen the video circulating online but described it as part of an alleged campaign of character assassination aimed at damaging the lawmaker’s reputation.
The aide said the circulation of the video had political undertones and could be linked to efforts to undermine the senator’s growing popularity ahead of the 2027 elections.
He confirmed that the men in the footage were pilgrims who visited the senator to express appreciation following their pilgrimage.
“The video in circulation is part of an ongoing character assassination campaign aimed at tarnishing the hard-earned reputation of the distinguished senator,” the aide said.
“This is happening in view of the charged political terrain and his acceptability among the people of his state. The campaigns of calumny are part of efforts by his opponents to demarket his surging popularity.
“The people in the video were pilgrims who visited him to show appreciation. They are Alhaji Isa Usman and Alhaji Abubakar Bula, and the visit took place three years ago, in 2023.
“They are not and have never been involved in crime or banditry as alleged. Associating them with bandits is a grave disservice to citizens pursuing their legitimate livelihoods.”
Content Creator Declines Clarification Despite Several Efforts
PRNigeria made several attempts to contact the content creator behind the viral post through WhatsApp, Instagram and telephone calls to establish the source of the video, the identities of the men and the basis for linking them to the senator.
He initially requested the researcher’s WhatsApp number and later said he would respond when available. However, he subsequently declined to provide clarification on the identities of the men seen in the video.
Conclusion:PRNigeria‘s verification found that the viral content combined two unrelated video clips to create a misleading narrative.
The first clip showed Kaduna-based businessmen and pilgrims who visited Senator Shehu Buba Umar in 2023 to express appreciation. The second clip, showing different individuals displaying international passports, involved entirely unrelated persons.
The combined footage appeared to suggest that the passports of alleged bandits were being processed and that the identities contained in the passports belonged to indigenes of Nasarawa State.
However, the two video clips were unrelated and were merged to promote a false and misleading narrative.
Verdict: False and Misleading
By PRNigeria
