Miyetti Allah President Remanded Over $2.63m Money Laundering, Terrorism Charges

Miyetti Allah President Remanded Over $2.63m Money Laundering, Terrorism Charges

• Bello Bodejo pleads not guilty to 12-count charge as EFCC opposes bail, citing flight risk and witness interference concerns

The Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the remand of the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over allegations of laundering **$2.63 million** and engaging in transactions linked to the **financing of terrorism**. Justice Inyang Ekwo issued the order on Thursday after Bodejo was arraigned by the anti-graft agency on multiple counts bordering on alleged violations of Nigeria’s money laundering laws and terrorism financing provisions. Bodejo was brought before Justice Inyang Ekwo, where he pleaded **not guilty** to all the counts after the charges, dated June 24 and filed on June 25, 2026, were read to him. The EFCC, represented by its counsel **Wahab Shittu, SAN**, informed the court that the matter was fixed for the defendant to enter his plea, and the defence counsel, **Ahmed Raji, SAN**, did not object, allowing the arraignment to proceed. According to the charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/375/2026, the EFCC accused the Miyetti Allah leader of laundering approximately $2.63 million, offences said to contravene the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Following Bodejo’s not-guilty plea, the prosecution urged the court to fix a trial date and order the defendant’s remand pending trial. However, Bodejo’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji, informed the court that he had filed a bail application dated June 30, 2026, and urged the judge to hear the motion immediately. Raji argued that the alleged offences are bailable under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) and urged the court to grant his client bail on liberal terms, noting that Bodejo had consistently made himself available to law enforcement agencies and posed no flight risk. Opposing the application, the prosecution filed a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit dated July 6, 2026, arguing that the defendant posed a flight risk and could interfere with witnesses. Shittu told the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) was “on the watch out for him” and that, “being an influential person, he may manipulate the witnesses and progress of the case”. The prosecution also dismissed the defendant’s claim of ill health, contending that the injury cited was not recent and that Bodejo did not appear to be in poor health. Justice Ekwo declined to grant bail immediately and subsequently ordered that Bodejo be remanded in the EFCC’s holding facility pending a ruling on his application. The judge adjourned the matter to July 20, 2026, for a ruling on the bail application. In addition to the money laundering allegations, the EFCC also accused the Miyetti Allah leader of engaging in transactions allegedly linked to the financing of terrorism, an accusation that adds a layer of gravity to the proceedings as the court prepares to rule on his bail application next week.

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According to the charge filed by the EFCC on June 25, Bodejo allegedly accepted cash payments totalling about $2.63 million from **Sa’idu Abubakar**, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in police custody over separate corruption allegations. The anti-graft agency alleged that the transactions, carried out between January 2022 and March 2024 in Abuja, exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold permitted under Nigeria’s money laundering laws and were not processed through financial institutions as required. The specific allegations include that Bodejo received **$100,000** on January 11, 2022; $200,000** on January 21, 2022; **$100,000 on October 26, 2022; $980,000** on February 7, 2024; **$750,000 on March 3, 2024; and **$500,000** on March 20, 2024. Count one of the charge reads that Bodejo “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”. Count four of the charge alleges that Bodejo “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”. The EFCC said the transactions violated provisions of both the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, which prohibit cash transactions above the prescribed threshold outside the banking system.

Meanwhile, Sa’idu Abubakar, the former Bauchi State Accountant-General who is alleged to have made the cash payments to Bodejo, is currently facing separate legal troubles. In June 2026, the Bauchi State Government filed a 16-count criminal charge against Abubakar, accusing him of allegedly procuring unauthorised loans and diverting public funds totalling about N11.01 billion. According to the amended charge filed before the Bauchi State High Court, the prosecution alleged that Abubakar, while serving as Accountant-General between 2023 and 2024, fraudulently obtained loan facilities from United Bank for Africa (UBA) and Polaris Bank using forged State Executive Council and House of Assembly resolutions. The prosecution further alleged that the loans were purportedly secured for the supply of thousands of motorcycles to Bauchi State civil servants through Emmanuel Asomugha General Enterprises. Abubakar is currently being held at the Bauchi Correctional Centre following the revocation of his bail. The connection between the two cases raises questions about the source of the funds allegedly paid to Bodejo and whether they may have originated from the diverted public funds Abubakar is accused of misappropriating, though no direct link has been established in court filings.

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The fresh charges against Bodejo come months after he separately faced prosecution by the Federal Government over the alleged establishment of an unauthorised vigilante outfit. In that case, the Federal Government had accused Bodejo of setting up a group known as the “Nomad Vigilante Group” without lawful authority, an action that generated nationwide debate over community security initiatives and the regulation of private armed groups in Nigeria. Bodejo had pleaded not guilty to that charge as well, and the case has been ongoing. The Miyetti Allah leader has also been a controversial figure in Nigeria’s security discourse, particularly regarding conflicts between herders and farmers in various parts of the country. His arrest and arraignment on money laundering and terrorism financing charges have therefore attracted significant public attention, with many viewing the case as a test of the government’s commitment to tackling high-profile corruption and security-related financial crimes.

As the court prepares to rule on the bail application on July 20, the case continues to draw public attention, particularly given the involvement of a prominent leader of a major herders’ association and the gravity of the allegations of money laundering and terrorism financing. If convicted, Bodejo faces a maximum sentence of 14 years imprisonment for each count, according to the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The EFCC has indicated that it will continue to pursue the case vigorously, while Bodejo’s legal team has expressed confidence that their client will be granted bail and ultimately exonerated. The case is expected to proceed to trial once the bail application is determined, with the court set to hear witnesses and examine evidence from both sides. The outcome of the bail application on July 20 will determine whether Bodejo remains in EFCC custody or is released pending trial, a decision that will likely have significant implications for the broader political and security landscape in Nigeria.

 

Miyetti Allah President Remanded Over $2.63m Money Laundering, Terrorism Charges