Miyetti Allah leader, Bodejo docked, remanded in EFCC custody over $2.33m fraud

By Soni Daniel

Abuja: The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on Thursday, arraigned the leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, for fraud.

Bodejo was arraigned on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2.33 million.

The prosecution counsel Wahab Shittu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, drew the attention of the court to a 12-count charge application dated June 24, 2026 and filed June 25, 2026, urging the court to allow the defendant take his plea to which the judge granted his request.

Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo (male, adult), on or about the 11th day of January 2022, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum $100,000.00 in physical currency from one Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force, which sum exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of N5,000,000.00, prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”

Count four reads: “That you, Bello Abdullahi Bodejo (male, adult), on or about the 7th day of February 2024, at Abuja, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of $980,000.00 in physical currency from one Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force, which sum exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of N5,000,000.00 prescribed under Section 2(1)(a) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, without routing the said transaction through a financial institution as required by law, and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act”

The Myetti Allah leader however pleaded “not guilty” to the charges following which the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN, asked the court for a trial date and for the defendant to be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service, while the defence counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, prayed the court to admit his client to bail in respect of his bail application, filed on June, 30, 2026.

The bail application was, however, strongly opposed by prosecution counsel, who drew the attention of the court to his counter-affidavit of 28 paragraphs, dated July 6, 2026.

He pointed out that the defendant is a public risk as the Department of State Security Services, DSS is on the watch out for him, and that being an influential person, he may manipulate the witnesses and progress of the case.

Justice Ekwo consequently ordered that the defendant be remanded in EFCC’s holding facility and adjourned the matter till July 20, 2026 for ruling on the bail application.

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