DSS rearrests Miyetti Allah leader, Bodejo after EFCC release

Officials from Nigeria's Department of State Services, DSS, reportedly re-arrested the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, just hours after his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. The incident occurred on Friday as Bodejo was leaving the EFCC headquarters in Abuja, where his legal team had gathered to secure his release.

Bodejo's family is now questioning the circumstances surrounding his re-arrest, especially considering a Federal High Court had previously granted him bail and stated that the conditions had been met. His wife, Hajiya Hauwa Bodejo, shared her concern with the media, noting that DSS agents had been positioned near the EFCC premises for several hours prior to his release.

She revealed that the EFCC contacted her husband's legal team on Thursday night, instructing them to visit the Abuja office with court officials on Friday to finalize his release. However, upon arriving, the family found Bodejo already freed, only for DSS operatives to seize him as they left the premises in three vans. Hauwa expressed shock at the sudden move, questioning the health deteriorations Bodejo experienced during detention and the lack of permission for his personal physician to visit him.

Bodejo is currently facing 12 counts of money laundering charges brought by the EFCC, which allege he received large cash payments from former Bauchi State Accountant-General Sa’idu Abubakar. The payments reportedly included $200,000, $100,000 and $980,000. The EFCC accused Bodejo of violating the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act.

In June, Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja granted Bodejo bail of N2 billion, with a requirement for one surety to provide a N2 billion bond with a tax clearance certificate and property in Abuja valued at N2 billion. Bodejo was also ordered to surrender his passport and remain in the country until his trial, set to commence on October 5, 6 and 7, 2026.

Bodejo had previously been detained by the DSS in January 2024 over his involvement with a vigilante group in Nasarawa State, which was later deemed unlawful by a court order in December of the same year.