The controversy over alleged links between influential Nigerians and armed groups in the North took a fresh turn as a man identified as Hassan explained how his childhood relationship with notorious bandit leader, Dogo Gide, allegedly gave him unusual access to people within Gide’s circle.
Hassan, whose allegations against a Senator (name withheld) have gone viral on social media, said his familiarity with Gide was not based on any involvement in criminal activities but dated back to their childhood, when both men lived in the same community and were friends, reports Sunday Vanguard.
The senator from the North has denied the allegations linking him to banditry and challenged Hassan to produce evidence before appropriate security agencies.
According to the lawmaker, complaints had been submitted to security authorities over the allegations and that investigations had resulted in arrests, with the matter now before the court.
Narrating his story, Hassan said that while he later relocated from the North to Rivers State, where he said he was raised and received formal education, Gide remained in the community and eventually became involved in banditry.
Hassan claimed the childhood connection became significant years later when he encountered Gide again in circumstances surrounding his work at the residence of the lawmaker.
Hassan alleged that his education enabled him to observe and document activities around the senator’s residence that he considered suspicious.
He claimed that he subsequently began secretly recording and preserving information that he believed could expose individuals allegedly connected to criminal activities.
The man further claimed that his familiarity with Gide and other individuals allegedly involved in banditry was partly due to the fact that he had known some of them before they became involved in criminal activities.
“I know Dogo Gide very well because we grew up in the same community and were childhood friends,” Hassan said, according to the interview that has circulated widely online.
He alleged that Gide had limited formal education and could not operate a mobile phone effectively, a situation Hassan claimed he exploited to obtain recordings, which he later stored on a memory card.
Hassan further alleged that his activities were eventually discovered at the senator’s residence and that this resulted in an alleged order for him to be killed. He claimed, however, that Gide, despite their divergent paths, secretly warned him of the alleged plan, enabling him to escape.
Hassan said he eventually fled Nigeria, taking with him materials he claimed contained evidence of activities he had witnessed.
He added that some of the materials were lost during his escape.
The allegations have, however, been strongly rejected by the Senator.
Denial
The lawmaker, in an interview with a radio station, said his relationship with Hassan began when the latter was introduced to his foundation as an orphan seeking assistance with his education.
He said he supported Hassan’s schooling and also helped him secure access to both conventional and Islamic education.
According to him, he subsequently became concerned when Hassan decided to discontinue his education and pursue car dealing.
The senator also alleged that Hassan had secretly taken photographs and recorded videos of people visiting his residence before their relationship deteriorated.
He denied allegations linking him to banditry and challenged Hassan to produce evidence before appropriate security agencies.
According to him, complaints had been submitted to security authorities over the allegations and that investigations had resulted in arrests, with the matter now before the court.
The latest controversy followed Hassan’s identification of the senator as the politician he had previously accused without naming.
In his widely circulated interview, Hassan also alleged that individuals connected to Gide were brought to Abuja and linked the development to people around the senator.
Those claims have not been independently verified.
Gide, however, is not a new name in Nigeria’s security landscape. Vanguard reported in May 2021 that a bandit leader, popularly known as Mallam Dogo Gide, was among leaders of bandit groups operating in parts of Niger and Kaduna states.
In October 2023, the Nigeria Police also reported that a suspect, arrested over the abduction of students of Federal Government College, Yauri, confessed to participating in the operation alongside Kachala Dogo Gide, whom the police described as a gang leader who led about 100 men during the raid.
The renewed allegations have consequently raised questions over the extent to which criminal networks may interact with people outside their immediate operational circles, particularly in communities where longstanding social and family relationships exist.
But while Hassan has continued to make allegations and circulate purported evidence, available reports indicate that the claims against the senator have not been established by a court.
Political career
The lawmaker has maintained that the allegations are intended to damage his reputation and political career, insisting that Hassan should submit whatever evidence he possesses to security agencies for proper investigation.
The controversy therefore leaves two competing accounts: Hassan’s claim that his childhood familiarity with Dogo Gide and his subsequent experiences gave him knowledge of an alleged network around influential figures, and the senator’s position that Hassan was a beneficiary of his educational support who later turned against him.
