By SCM Correspondent
ABUJA, Nigeria – The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Wednesday, July 9, 2026, arraigned the National President of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over his alleged involvement in a $2.33 million money laundering and fraud scheme.
Bodejo was brought before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo on a 12-count charge bordering on the illegal receipt of foreign currencies in physical cash, bypassing statutory financial institution thresholds.
At the resumed proceedings on Thursday, the prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN, drew the attention of the court to a 12-count amended charge application dated June 24, 2026, and subsequently filed on June 25, 2026. Shittu prayed the court to permit the reading of the charges so the defendant could take his plea. Justice Ekwo granted the application, setting the stage for the formal arraignment.
According to the details of the charge sheet obtained by The Punch, the anti-graft agency alleged that Bodejo systematically accepted massive cash payments in United States Dollars from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, who is currently being held in the lawful custody of the Nigeria Police Force.
Count one of the charge sheet stated:
“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 wilfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of One Hundred Thousand United States Dollars (USD $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 Five Million Naira (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.”
Furthermore, count four of the charge sheet detailed another high-value cash transaction that took place two years later. The count noted:
“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 wilfully, without lawful authority or excuse, accept a cash payment of the sum of Nine Hundred and Eighty Thousand United States Dollars (USD $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 Five Million Naira (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.”
When the 12 counts were read to him, the Miyetti Allah leader pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges.
Following the non-guilty plea, the prosecu
tion counsel, Shittu, asked the court for a formal trial date.
He additionally requested that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service pending the determination of the case.
However, the defence counsel, Ahmed Raji, SAN, swiftly countered the prosecution’s remand request. Raji prayed the court to admit his client to bail, drawing the court’s attention to a formal bail application filed on June 30, 2026.
The application for bail met fierce resistance from the EFCC prosecution team. Shittu urged the court to deny the application, citing a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit dated July 6, 2026, which was filed by the anti-graft agency.
Arguing against the bail, Shittu stressed that Bodejo constitutes a “public risk,” adding that the Department of State Services (DSS) currently has him on its watch list. The prosecution further argued that given Bodejo’s immense influence, there was a high probability that he could manipulate vital prosecution witnesses and jeopardize the overall progress of the judicial process if released.
After listening to the intense arguments from both legal teams, Justice Inyang Ekwo declined to grant immediate bail.
Instead, the trial judge ordered that Bodejo be remanded in the holding facility of the EFCC rather than a correctional center. Justice Ekwo subsequently adjourned the matter until July 20, 2026, for a formal ruling on the pending bail application.
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