The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted bail to the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, in the sum of ₦2bn as he faces trial over allegations of laundering about $2.63m.
Delivering his ruling on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo held that the charges brought against Bodejo by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) were bailable offences and that the court had the discretion to admit him to bail pending trial.
The judge ordered Bodejo to provide one surety in the same amount. The surety must be resident in Abuja, possess a three-year tax clearance certificate and own landed property in the Federal Capital Territory valued at ₦2bn. The property’s title documents are to be verified by the court registrar.
As part of the bail conditions, Bodejo was directed to surrender his international passport to the court and was barred from travelling outside Nigeria without prior judicial approval.
Justice Ekwo adjourned proceedings until 5, 6 and 7 October 2026 for the commencement of trial.
The EFCC arraigned Bodejo on 9 July on multiple counts of alleged money laundering involving approximately $2.63m. He pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
At his arraignment, prosecution counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), asked the court to fix a trial date and remand the defendant in EFCC custody. Defence counsel Ahmed Raji (SAN), however, urged the court to consider a bail application filed on 30 June, arguing that the alleged offences were bailable under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
Shittu opposed the application, maintaining that bail should be refused, but the court ultimately ruled in Bodejo’s favour.
According to the charge sheet, the EFCC alleged that Bodejo accepted a cash payment of $100,000 from a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, Sa’idu Abubakar, in Abuja on or about 11 January 2022, outside the banking system and without lawful authority.
The anti-graft agency argued that the transaction exceeded the statutory ₦5m cash transaction limit prescribed under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended).
Prosecutors further alleged that Bodejo accepted additional cash payments of $200,000, $100,000, $980,000, $750,000 and $500,000 from Abubakar on various dates between 2022 and 2024, in contravention of both the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The EFCC contends that the transactions were conducted outside regulated financial institutions, forming the basis of the charges against the Miyetti Allah leader.
Bodejo has denied all allegations and is expected to contest the charges when the trial begins in October.
