JUSTICE Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has admitted the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, to bail in the sum of ₦2 billion with one surety in the like amount over alleged money laundering offences involving about $2.63 million.
News Point Nigeria reports that Justice Ekwo, while delivering his ruling on Bodejo’s bail application on Monday, ordered that the surety must reside in Abuja and possess a valid three-year tax clearance certificate.
The court further directed that the surety must own landed property worth ₦2 billion within Abuja, adding that all documents relating to the property would be subjected to verification by the court registrar.
Justice Ekwo also ordered Bodejo to surrender his international passport to the registrar of the court and barred him from travelling outside Nigeria without obtaining the permission of the court.
In his ruling, the judge held that the offences brought against the Miyetti Allah leader were bailable and noted that the court had the discretionary powers to grant bail in his favour.
Following the ruling, Justice Ekwo adjourned the matter until October 5, October 6 and October 7 for the commencement of trial.
The judge had earlier, on July 9, fixed July 20 for the ruling on Bodejo’s bail application after he was arraigned on allegations bordering on money laundering.
After the proceedings on July 9, Justice Ekwo ordered that Bodejo be remanded in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission pending the determination of his bail application.
The remand order followed Bodejo’s arraignment by the EFCC on charges relating to alleged money laundering offences.
The anti-graft agency, through its counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), named Bodejo as the sole defendant in the charge dated June 24 and filed before the court on June 25.
When the charges were read to him, Bodejo pleaded not guilty to all the counts preferred against him.
Following his plea, Shittu urged the court to fix a date for trial and requested that the defendant be remanded in custody.
However, Bodejo’s counsel, Ahmed Raji (SAN), informed the court that his client had already filed an application seeking bail.
While moving the application, Raji told the court that the motion was dated and filed on June 30, arguing that the offences were bailable under the provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act.
According to the senior advocate, the charges against Bodejo bordered on money laundering offences, which are recognised as bailable under Nigerian law.
He subsequently urged the court to exercise its discretion in favour of the defendant and grant him bail.
Shittu, however, strongly opposed the application.
According to the charge sheet, Bodejo was alleged in count one to have, on or about January 11, 2022, in Abuja, accepted a cash payment of $100,000 from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State, who is currently in the custody of the Nigeria Police Force.
The EFCC alleged that the transaction exceeded the statutory cash transaction threshold of ₦5 million prescribed under Section 1(a) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended), and was not routed through a financial institution as required by law.
The count reads: “You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 (as amended) and punishable under Section 16(2)(b) of the same Act.”
In count two, Bodejo was accused of receiving another cash payment of $200,000 from the former Bauchi accountant-general on or about January 21, 2022, in Abuja, allegedly in violation of the law.
Count three alleged that he accepted an additional $100,000 in cash from Abubakar on October 26, 2022.
The fourth count accused Bodejo of receiving $980,000 in physical currency from the former accountant-general on February 7, 2024, without lawful authority.
The EFCC also alleged in count five that he accepted $750,000 in cash from Abubakar on March 3, 2024.
In count six, Bodejo was accused of receiving another $500,000 in cash on March 20, 2024, in Abuja without routing the transaction through a financial institution, contrary to the provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The prosecution maintained that the transaction exceeded the statutory threshold of ₦5 million prescribed under Section 2(1)(a) of the Act.
“You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 19(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 and punishable under Section 19(2)(b) of the same Act,” count six stated, among other charges.