THE Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday remanded Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kauta Kore, in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)’s custody.
The trial judge, Inyang Ekwo, gave the order following Bodejo’s arraignment by the EFCC on alleged money laundering involving 2.63 million dollars.
Ekwo further ordered that Bodejo would be in the anti-graft agency’s custody pending ruling in his bail application.
The judge then adjourned the matter until July 20 for ruling.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the EFCC counsel, Wahab Shittu, a senior advocate, named Bodejo as sole defendant in the charge dated June 24 and filed June 25.
The defence counsel, Ahmed Raji, also a senior advocate, did not oppose the application. 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. But Raji informed the court that a bail application had been filed.
He pleaded with the court to enable him move the motion, having served the prosecution. Moving the motion, Raji said the application was dated and filed on June 30.
“There are grounds in support of the application from A to N,” he said.
The lawyer submitted that the offence with which Bodejo was charged, is a bailable offence under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA). He, therefore, urged the court to admit the defendant to bail.
But Shittu opposed Raji’s application for bail. He said in response, the commission filed a 28-paragraph counter affidavit.
“We adopt all our processes in opposition to the application my lord,” he said, praying the court to reject the request.
The prosecution counsel said from the defendant’s averment, the court will see that Bodejo had been “a guest at the Department of State Services (DSS) for other offences.”
He submitted that if granted bail, the defendant might further commit another offence.
On the argument of the defendant’s ill-health, Shittu said the injury the defendant claimed to have was not a recent one and that he was not looking unhealthy.
The lawyer argued that if admitted to bail, Bodejo might use his influence to influence the witnesses in the case.
He, however, submitted that if the court was inclined to admit him to bail, this should be on stringent measures.
The EFCC alleged that Bodejo, on or about Jan. 21, 2022, in Abuja, without lawful authority accepted a cash payment of 200,000 dollars from Sa’idu Abubakar, a former accountant-general of Bauchi State who is currently in the lawful custody of the Nigerian Police Force, which exceeded the transaction threshold.
The anti-graft agency also alleged that the defendant accepted another cash payment of 100,000 dollars on or about Oct. 26, 2022, in Abuja, without lawful authority from Abubakar.
The EFCC also accused the defendant of accepting 980,000 dollars from Abubakar.
The prosecution said that the offences were 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.(NAN)