Federal High Court Orders N2 Billion Bail for Miyetti Allah Leader

The Federal High Court in Abuja has granted conditional bail amounting to N2 billion to Bello Bodejo, who serves as the National President of Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore, currently facing charges related to money laundering. Presiding over the case, Justice Inyang Ekwo, in his ruling delivered on Monday, stipulated that the bail requires two sureties, each for the same sum.

According to the court's directives, one of the sureties must be a resident of Abuja and must present a tax clearance certificate covering a period of three years to the court. Furthermore, the second surety is mandated to possess landed property within Abuja, which must be valued at N2 billion. In addition to these requirements, Bodejo is obligated to surrender his international passport to the court registrar and is prohibited from traveling outside Nigeria without express permission from the court.

Justice Ekwo articulated that the charges brought against the defendant are bailable offences, and the court retains the authority to exercise its discretion in granting bail. The matter has since been adjourned, with the trial scheduled to commence on October 5, October 6, and October 7.

Bodejo was initially taken into the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on July 9, following his arraignment on allegations related to money laundering. The EFCC's counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), had formally filed the charge, dated June 24 and submitted on June 25, naming Bodejo as the sole individual accused in the case.

During his arraignment, Bodejo entered a plea of not guilty to all counts. Subsequent to this plea, Mr. Shittu requested a trial date and moved for the defendant to be remanded. However, Bodejo's legal representative, Ahmed Raji (SAN), brought to the court's attention his client's pending bail application, which had been dated and filed on June 30.

In his arguments supporting the application, Raji contended that the accusations against Bodejo primarily concern alleged money laundering, which are offences eligible for bail under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). He implored the court to use its discretion to favour his client by granting him bail. The EFCC, through Mr. Shittu, however, opposed this request, urging the court to deny the bail application. Despite the opposition, Justice Ekwo proceeded to admit Bodejo to bail, subject to the conditions he had outlined.