Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reduced the bail sum granted to the detained National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo, from N2 billion to N1 billion, scaling down the conditions attached to his release as he faces trial over an alleged $2.63 million money laundering charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Justice Salim Ibrahim, sitting as a vacation judge, granted Bodejo's application to vary the bail terms on Wednesday, July 29, 2026, nearly a week after Justice Inyang Ekwo of the same court admitted the Miyetti Allah leader to bail in the sum of N2 billion with two sureties in like sum. The vacation judge ruled that the bail bond be reduced to N1 billion while retaining the requirement for two sureties.
Under the revised terms, one of the sureties must own a landed property valued at N1 billion in either Guzape, Asokoro or Maitama District of Abuja, all located within the Federal Capital Territory. The judge also directed both sureties to submit valid identification documents, including photocopies of their driver's licences, National Identification Number (NIN) slips or international passports, to the court.
The initial bail conditions granted by Justice Ekwo on July 20, 2026, had required one surety to present evidence of three years' tax clearance and reside within the court's jurisdiction, while the second surety was expected to own a property worth N2 billion in Abuja. Justice Ekwo had also fixed October 5, 6 and 7, 2026, for the commencement of the substantive trial.
Bodejo's lawyer, Mohammed Sheriff, had applied to the vacation judge to scale down the bail bond to N300 million with one surety, but Justice Ibrahim settled at N1 billion with two sureties, despite opposition from EFCC lawyer Fatal Erewunmi. Following the ruling, Justice Ibrahim ordered that the case file be returned to Justice Ekwo's court for the continuation of the trial after the court's annual vacation.
Bodejo was first arraigned before Justice Ekwo on July 9, 2026, on a six-count charge bordering on money laundering. He pleaded not guilty to all counts and was remanded in EFCC custody pending the determination of his bail application.
According to the charge sheet, the EFCC alleged that Bodejo received multiple cash payments from Sa'idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, without routing the transactions through financial institutions as required under Nigeria's money laundering laws. In count one, he is alleged to have accepted $100,000 from Abubakar on January 11, 2022, in Abuja, exceeding the statutory cash transaction threshold of N5 million prescribed under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. Count two alleges he accepted a further $200,000 on January 21, 2022, while count three accuses him of accepting another $100,000 on October 26, 2022. Counts four, five and six allege that he accepted $980,000, $750,000 and $500,000 respectively from the former Bauchi State accountant-general between February and March 2024. The EFCC maintained that all the transactions exceeded the legal limits prescribed under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
If convicted, Bodejo could face penalties provided under Nigeria's anti-money laundering legislation. The trial is expected to proceed before Justice Ekwo after the court's vacation, with the case file already ordered to be returned to his court.
The reduction of Bodejo's bail conditions marks the latest development in a high-profile case that has drawn significant public attention, given his position as the leader of a prominent Fulani socio-cultural organisation and the substantial sums of money involved in the allegations. The EFCC has continued to intensify its crackdown on money laundering and financial crimes, with the agency securing several high-profile convictions in recent months.
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