A federal high court in Abuja has instructed the federal government to bring charges against Bello Bodejo, the president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, within seven days.
The presiding judge, Inyang Ekwo, issued this order on Thursday after an earlier one allowing the attorney-general of the federation (AGF) to detain Bodejo for 15 days at the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) had expired.
The AGF had requested this detention in a motion ex-parte labeled “FHC/ABJ/CS/141/2024” to keep Bodejo in custody until the investigation is completed and he is brought to court.
The motion, filed on February 5 by M.B. Abubakar, the director of public prosecution in the AGF’s office, sought to remand Bodejo.
Bodejo was taken into custody on January 23 at Miyetti Allah’s office in Karu LGA of Nasarawa State due to the announcement of a vigilante group by the Fulani socio-cultural organization.
Bodejo mentioned that the “nomad vigilante group” will help security agencies fight crime in the north-central state.
In the affidavit accompanying the motion, Noma Wando, a litigation officer at the Ministry of Justice, stated that Bodejo is forming an armed militia that goes against the unity of the nation as outlined in the constitution of Nigeria.
Wando also mentioned that the respondent is under investigation for offenses that pose a threat to national security, according to the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act of 2022.
“That if the suspect/respondent is released into society, there is a likelihood that he will continue to commit similar or more serious offenses,” the litigation officer said.
Wando mentioned that there is a possibility that the respondent might skip bail if it is granted.
During the court session on Thursday, F.N. Umoh, the AGF counsel, stated that the NIA had sent Bodejo’s statement to the minister’s office on Wednesday.
He explained that due to the bureaucratic process, they were unable to file a charge as instructed by the court.
As a result, he requested the court set a later date to allow them to file a charge against the accused.
When asked by the judge how long it would take to file the charge, the lawyer mentioned seven days.
However, Abdulkarim Maude, representing Bodejo, informed the court that they had submitted an application for the protection of his fundamental rights on February 7 and provided it to the prosecution team.
Ekwo suggested that the prosecution be given seven days to file a charge to simplify the process, allowing Maude to respond accordingly.
Subsequently, the judge postponed the case until March 1 for Bodejo’s arraignment.
