The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged $2.33 million money laundering charge.
Bodejo was brought before Justice Inyang Ekwo on Thursday, facing a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering, which he pleaded not guilty to in its entirety.
Following the plea, the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN, asked the court to fix a date for the commencement of the trial and remanded the defendant in a Nigerian Correctional Service facility pending the determination of the case.
Moving the bail application, which was filed on June 30, 2026, defence counsel Ahmed Raji, SAN, prayed the court to admit Bodejo to bail, arguing that the money laundering charges against his client are fundamentally bailable offenses under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA).
However, the prosecution fiercely opposed the application through a counter-affidavit, contending that releasing the defendant would pose a flight risk and jeopardize the prosecution’s case.
“Being an influential person, he may manipulate the witnesses and the progress of the case,” Shittu argued, adding that the defendant was a public risk as the Department of State Services (DSS) was actively “on the watch out for him” for other alleged offenses.
Justice Ekwo subsequently ordered that Bodejo be remanded in the custody of the EFCC at its holding facility, adjourning the matter until July 20 for a ruling on the bail application.
According to the EFCC, one of the counts alleges that Bodejo illegally accepted $100,000 in cash from Sa’idu Abubakar, the former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, without routing the transaction through a financial institution as required by law.
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Backstory…
The latest arraignment marks another chapter in the legal troubles of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore President, Bello Bodejo, who has remained under the spotlight since the Federal Government moved against the establishment of the Fulani vigilante outfit known as the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.
In January 2024, Bodejo was arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency over allegations that the group’s operations amounted to the creation of an unauthorised security organisation, prompting a legal battle that attracted widespread attention before he was eventually granted bail. His arrest came amid heightened concerns over insecurity in the North, where repeated attacks by bandits and armed groups had fuelled calls for community-based security initiatives.
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