Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore Fulani Sociocultural Association in the North-Central zone, led by its chairman, Idris Bebeji, on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other senior authorities to secure the release of the association’s national leader, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, whose continued detention has become a fresh source of concern for the group.

The appeal was made at a press conference in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, where Bebeji called on Tinubu, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi, the All Progressives Congress leadership and the Department of State Services to review the circumstances surrounding Bodejo’s continued detention.

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Bebeji said the association was not asking authorities to place Bodejo above the law, but wanted his case handled fairly, promptly and within the framework of the Constitution.

“Our immediate concern is that after Alhaji Bello Bodejo was arrested by the Department of State Services in Jalingo, Taraba State, on the day of his official declaration to contest for the office of the Senate to represent the people of Taraba Central Senatorial District, he was handed over to the EFCC,” Bebeji said.

He said Bodejo subsequently spent almost four months in detention before reportedly fulfilling the conditions required for his release from EFCC custody, only to be rearrested by DSS operatives on August 28.

Recent reports corroborate that Bodejo was taken into custody again shortly after leaving the EFCC headquarters in Abuja following the reported perfection of his bail conditions.

His family questioned the circumstances of the rearrest, while the DSS had not publicly explained the basis for the fresh detention in the reports available at the time.

The development followed a Federal High Court ruling in July granting Bodejo bail in the sum of ₦2 billion in connection with an alleged money laundering case brought against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

Justice Inyang Ekwo granted the bail after Bodejo pleaded not guilty to the charges.

The court imposed conditions including a surety resident in Abuja with three years’ tax clearance and another surety required to own landed property worth ₦2 billion in the Federal Capital Territory.

Bodejo was also ordered to surrender his international passport and remain within Nigeria unless granted permission to travel.

The EFCC had earlier arraigned Bodejo on a 12-count charge relating to alleged money laundering involving millions of dollars.

The commission alleged, among other things, that he received cash payments from former Bauchi State Accountant-General Sa’idu Abubakar outside the banking system.

Bodejo pleaded not guilty to the allegations. The court subsequently fixed October 5, 6 and 7, 2026, for the commencement of the trial.

The case has therefore continued on two distinct tracks: the criminal proceedings before the Federal High Court and the renewed dispute surrounding Bodejo’s detention by the DSS.

Bebeji acknowledged that security agencies had constitutional responsibilities and might possess information unavailable to the association. He nevertheless urged the authorities to clarify the legal basis for keeping Bodejo in custody.

“We acknowledge that the relevant security agencies may possess information not available to us. However, we respectfully appeal that the circumstances and legal basis for his continued detention be reviewed at the highest appropriate level,” he said.

The association also appealed directly to Tinubu, Ribadu and Fagbemi, as well as the APC and DSS leadership, to intervene in what it described as a matter requiring justice, fairness and due process.

Bebeji said Bodejo had been a prominent advocate for pastoralist communities and had contributed to efforts aimed at peaceful coexistence, national unity and the welfare of Fulani pastoralists.

He also described Bodejo as a supporter and member of the APC who backed the Tinubu-Shettima presidential ticket during the 2023 general election.

The appeal comes against the background of Bodejo’s increasingly complicated legal history.

In December 2024, a Federal Capital Territory High Court ordered his release from DSS detention after finding that his continued detention without being brought before a court raised constitutional concerns.

That earlier episode involved Bodejo’s arrest in connection with allegations surrounding a vigilante group in Nasarawa State.

A separate Federal High Court later granted an application for his detention for 60 days while investigations were conducted under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act.

His latest legal troubles began after his arrest in 2026 and subsequent transfer to the EFCC.

The anti-graft agency’s case now centres on alleged financial offences, while the circumstances of his latest DSS detention have become the subject of the association’s appeal.

The figures involved in the EFCC case have varied slightly across early reports, with the prosecution case subsequently described by several outlets as involving approximately $2.63 million.

What remains undisputed is that Bodejo has pleaded not guilty and that the criminal case has not been determined.

Bebeji urged members of Miyetti Allah and the wider pastoralist community to remain calm and law-abiding while the matter is addressed through constitutional and legal channels.

He stressed that the association’s intervention should not be interpreted as an attempt to obstruct investigation or prosecution.

“We are not asking that Alhaji Bello Bodejo or any other citizen be placed above the law. We are simply appealing that the law should take its proper course while his constitutional rights, dignity and personal liberty are fully respected,” Bebeji said.

The appeal now places the Federal Government and security authorities under renewed pressure to explain the legal basis for Bodejo’s continued detention, particularly in light of the bail previously granted by the court.

For Miyetti Allah, the immediate priority is Bodejo’s release if there is no lawful reason for further detention.

For the authorities, the continuing criminal proceedings and any separate security concerns remain matters that must be addressed within the law.

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With Bodejo’s money laundering trial scheduled for October, the latest development is likely to keep his detention and the limits of executive security powers in public focus as the legal process unfolds.