Miyetti Allah Leader Arraigned Over Alleged $2.33m Money Laundering

• Miyetti Allah leader pleads not guilty to 12-count money laundering charge
• EFCC alleges he received over $2.33 million in cash outside banking channels
• Court remands defendant, fixes July 20 for ruling on bail application

The national leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, has been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over an alleged $2.33 million money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Bodejo appeared before Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo on Thursday on a 12-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering and unlawful cash transactions said to have contravened the provisions of Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws.

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At the commencement of proceedings, the EFCC’s lead counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), informed the court that the matter was slated for arraignment and urged the judge to allow the defendant to take his plea.

After the charges were read, Bodejo pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts.

According to the anti-graft agency, the defendant allegedly received cash payments totalling about $2.33 million from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force, without routing the transactions through any financial institution as required by law.

One of the charges alleged that Bodejo accepted $100,000 in cash on January 11, 2022, exceeding the statutory threshold for cash transactions under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.

Another count accused him of receiving $980,000 in physical cash on February 7, 2024, in violation of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

Following the defendant’s plea, Shittu urged the court to fix a date for trial and remand Bodejo pending the hearing of the case.

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Defence counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), however, applied for bail, relying on an application filed on June 30, 2026.

The prosecution opposed the request, citing a 28-paragraph counter-affidavit filed on July 6, 2026. Shittu argued that the defendant posed a public risk, noting that the Department of State Services (DSS) was also interested in him and warning that, given his influence, he could interfere with witnesses and the judicial process if released.

After listening to both parties, Justice Ekwo ordered that Bodejo be remanded in the EFCC’s holding facility pending the determination of his bail application.

The judge subsequently adjourned the matter until July 20, 2026, for ruling on the bail application.