The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged money laundering involving $2.33 million.
Bodejo was brought before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged financial offences.
During Thursday’s proceedings, EFCC counsel, Wahab Shittu, presented a 12-count charge dated June 24, 2026, and filed on June 25, 2026, requesting that the defendant be allowed to take his plea.
The court granted the request, after which Bodejo pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Following his plea, the prosecution counsel applied for a trial date and requested that the defendant be remanded in the custody of the Nigeria Correctional Service.
However, Bodejo’s lawyer, Ahmed Raji, urged the court to grant his client bail based on an application filed on June 30, 2026.
The EFCC opposed the bail request, arguing that Bodejo posed a public risk and could interfere with witnesses or the progress of the case due to his influence.
The prosecution also informed the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) had been searching for the defendant.
Justice Ekwo subsequently ordered that Bodejo be remanded at the EFCC holding facility and adjourned the matter until July 20, 2026, for ruling on the bail application.
Alleged Cash Transactions
One of the charges alleged that Bodejo, on January 11, 2022, in Abuja, knowingly accepted $100,000 in cash from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, in excess of the statutory cash transaction limit without routing the transaction through a financial institution.
The EFCC alleged that the act contravened provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended.
Another count alleged that on February 7, 2024, Bodejo accepted $980,000 in physical cash from the same individual, again exceeding the legal cash transaction threshold.
The commission said the alleged offences violated provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The case continues as the court awaits its decision on the bail application.
