By SCM Judiciary Correspondent
ABUJA — A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has granted bail to the National President of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, in the sum of ₦2 billion.
Bodejo is currently facing a 12-count criminal charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2.63 million.
Presiding Judge, Justice Inyang Ekwo, ruled on the politician’s bail application on Monday, holding that the offences brought against the defendant are bailable and that the court chose to exercise its administrative discretion in his favor.
While admitting the Miyetti Allah leader to bail, Justice Ekwo attached highly stringent conditions to the ₦2 billion bond.
According to the court’s directives: The bail condition includes two Sureties Required: The defendant must provide two responsible sureties in the like sum of ₦2 billion.
Tax Clearance: One of the sureties must be a resident of Abuja and present verified evidence of tax clearance certificates for the consecutive years of 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Landed Property: The second surety must own verified landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) valued at a minimum of ₦2 billion. The Court Registrar has been ordered to meticulously verify all title documents.
Travel Restrictions: Bodejo was ordered to surrender his international passport and travel documents to the court registrar. The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) will be formally notified of the seizure, and the defendant is strictly barred from traveling outside Nigeria or beyond the court’s jurisdiction without explicit judicial permission.
Following the ruling, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until October 5, 6, and 7, 2026, for the definitive commencement of the trial.
Background to the Story
Bello Bodejo’s fresh legal woes began on July 9, 2026, when he was formally arraigned by the EFCC and subsequently remanded in the anti-graft agency’s custody after pleading “not guilty” to all 12 counts.
The EFCC, through its prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, accused Bodejo of violating several provisions of Nigeria’s Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act. The anti-graft agency alleged that between January 2022 and March 2024, Bodejo accepted massive physical cash payments in foreign currencies directly from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, completely bypassing the statutory banking systems required by law.
The tranches of funds allegedly received outside financial institutions include a single cash collection of $980,000 on February 7, 2024, and another $750,000 cash transaction on March 3, 2024. The EFCC contends that these sums are reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activity.
This money laundering trial marks the second major legal battle for the Miyetti Allah leader within the last two years.
In January 2024, Bodejo was arrested by operatives of the State Security Service (SSS) shortly after he publicly unveiled a controversial ethnic security outfit called the Nomad Vigilante Group in Nasarawa State. The federal government designated the group illegal, claiming it was set up without statutory state approvals.
Bodejo spent roughly six months in SSS custody facing terrorism-related allegations linked to the vigilante group before the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) subsequently withdrew those specific charges later that year.
With the ₦2 billion bail secured under strict conditions, the public spotlight now shifts to October 2026, when the EFCC is expected to present its witnesses to prove the multi-million dollar laundering allegations against the prominent herdsman leader.
