Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is set to arraign Bello Abdullahi Bodejo, the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, before a Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of terrorism financing and money laundering involving a total of $2.53 million. The anti-graft agency filed a 12-count charge against Bodejo on June 22, 2026, accusing him of receiving and possessing large sums of foreign currency allegedly linked to proceeds of unlawful activities, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The charges, which are expected to be formally presented in the coming days, represent one of the most significant legal actions against a prominent leader of a herders' association in recent years.
According to a statement by EFCC spokesman Dele Oyewale, Bodejo, who has been linked to Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, is alleged to have received multiple cash payments in United States dollars from Sa'idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the custody of the Nigerian Police Force. In the first count of the charge, the EFCC alleged that Bodejo, on or about January 11, 2022, in Abuja, knowingly and willfully accepted a payment of $100,000 in physical currency from Abubakar, an amount that exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of N5 million prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, without routing the transaction through a financial institution as required by law. This conduct, according to the commission, constitutes an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering Prohibition Act, 2011 (as amended) and is punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.
Count two of the charge alleges that on January 21, 2022, Bodejo received an additional $200,000 in physical currency from the same source, again without processing the funds through a financial institution, in violation of the statutory cash transaction threshold. The EFCC further alleged that on March 20, 2024, Bodejo received $500,000 in cash from Abubakar, an amount that also exceeded the legal cash transaction threshold prescribed under the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. In count four, the commission alleged that Bodejo accepted $980,000 in cash from the former accountant-general on February 7, 2024, without routing the transaction through a financial institution, an act that prosecutors contend violated provisions of the 2022 anti-money laundering law.
Beyond the cash acceptance allegations, the EFCC also accused Bodejo of knowingly possessing suspected proceeds of crime. According to count ten, Bodejo allegedly took possession of $980,000 in Abuja on or about February 7, 2024, under circumstances in which he either knew, or reasonably ought to have known, that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity, specifically money laundering. The conduct allegedly constitutes an offence under Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and is punishable under Section 18(3) of the same Act. The commission said all the alleged offences are punishable under various provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
Bodejo's legal troubles are not limited to this latest case. As the national president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, a group of herders-turned-political pressure group, he has had previous run-ins with Nigeria's security and intelligence community. He has been at the centre of a separate case involving the alleged release of $2.33 million from Bauchi State government coffers to him and other persons, who allegedly used the cash, partly or wholly, to finance an alleged terrorist or terrorist group. In that case, a Bauchi State High Court judge returned the case file for reassignment in January 2026, while another judge subsequently granted bail to the state commissioner and other co-defendants in the trial. The EFCC has been investigating Bodejo's financial dealings for years, and the latest charges represent the culmination of those efforts.
The case has drawn attention to the intersection of politics, security, and financial crime in Nigeria. Governor Bala Mohammed, who has been linked to Bodejo in the EFCC's statement, has not yet commented on the allegations, and there is no indication that he is directly implicated in the charges. However, the association has raised questions about the relationship between state governments and influential non-state actors in the country's volatile North-East and North-West regions. The EFCC's decision to file charges against Bodejo also underscores the growing emphasis on prosecuting cases of terrorism financing, which has become a critical component of Nigeria's counter-terrorism strategy. Security analysts have noted that disrupting the financial networks that sustain armed groups is essential to degrading their operational capacity and reducing violence in conflict-affected areas.
The charges against Bodejo come at a time when Nigeria is grappling with persistent security challenges, including banditry, kidnapping, and insurgency, which have devastated rural communities and displaced millions. The prosecution of individuals accused of financing terrorism is seen as a crucial tool in the broader effort to restore peace and stability. Bodejo is expected to take his plea before the Federal High Court in the coming days, and the EFCC has confirmed that further proceedings will follow once an arraignment date is fixed by the court. Until proven guilty, Bodejo is presumed innocent of all allegations.
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