Bello Bodejo, National President of Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore, has been admitted to ₦2 billion bail by an Abuja Federal High Court.
Presiding over the case on Monday, Justice Inyang Ekwo required Bodejo to present two sureties in the same sum, specifying that one must be an Abuja resident with three years of verified tax payments.
Justice Ekwo also ordered that the second surety must have land worth N2 billion in Abuja.
The judge equally ordered Bodejo to drop his international passport with the registrar of the court and not travel outside the country without leave of the court.
He agreed that the offence with which the defendant was charged was bailable, and the court has the discretionary power to exercise this in his favour.
He adjourned the case until Oct. 5 to Oct. 7 for commencement of trial.
Justice Ekwo had, on July 9, remanded the Miyetti Allah president in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) custody.
The judge gave the order following Bodejo’s arraignment by the EFCC on alleged money laundering offences.
The EFCC counsel, Wahab Shittu, SAN, had named Bodejo as the sole defendant in the charge dated June 24 and filed June 25.
After the charge was read to Bodejo, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Shittu then applied for a trial date and urged the court to order his remand.
Mr Ahmed Raji (SAN) informed the court about the bail application for his client.
Moving the motion, Raji said the application was dated and filed on June 30.
The lawyer submitted that the offences with which Bodejo was charged bordered on money laundering.
According to him, under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), they are bailable offences.
He, therefore, urged the court to admit the defendant to bail.
But Shittu opposed Raji’s application for bail.
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