EFCC charges Miyetti Allah leader over $2.53m from Bauchi government

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has charged Bello Bodejo, the leader of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, with money laundering. This is regarding money he allegedly received from the Bauchi State Government.

A statement from Dele Oyewale, who heads EFCC’s Media and Publicity, said the commission filed 12 counts of money laundering against Bodejo on Monday at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The commission claims that Bodejo received and held large amounts of cash in foreign currency. They said this was linked to "proceeds of unlawful activities in contravention of the Money Laundering (Prevention & Prohibition) Act, 2011."

According to the charges, Bodejo took a total of $2.53 million in suspicious circumstances, which is tied to Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed. The statement noted, "Bodejo, linked to Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, is expected to take his plea before the court in the coming days as the Commission commences formal proceedings."

The transactions at the center of these charges are part of an ongoing money laundering and terrorism financing trial involving some Bauchi State Government officials. This includes the Commissioner for Finance, Yakubu Adamu, who is also in the Federal High Court in Abuja. Bodejo was charged in the same court, but it is unclear if his case will go to the same judge.

On December 30, 2025, the EFCC charged Adamu and three other civil servants in the state with terrorism financing and various money laundering offences related to funds given to Bodejo and others.

The other defendants are Balarabe Ilelah, Aminu Mohammed Bose, and Kabiru Mohammed. They are civil servants and signatories to the state government’s accounts.

In January, PREMIUM TIMES reported on the transactions and unusual circumstances surrounding these payments. The report, based on Bauchi State Government records and other documents, showed that Bodejo received $2.33 million in cash over four months between 2023 and 2024.

Despite this, Bodejo was not charged alongside the other defendants. The new case against him has more details about the questionable financial dealings between him and the Bauchi State Government dating back to 2022.

The first of the 12 counts states that on January 11, 2022, Bodejo "did knowingly and willfully, without lawful authority or excuse," accept a payment of $100,000 in cash from SA’IDU ABUBAKAR, a former Accountant-General of Bauchi State who is currently in police custody.

The EFCC said Bodejo received this money without using a financial institution as required by law. This action violates Section 16(1)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011. The charge also claims that the $100,000 cash exceeded the legal cash transaction limit of Five Million Naira (N5,000,000.00).

The second count states that on January 21, 2022, Bodejo also accepted a cash payment of $200,000 from Mr Abubakar without lawful authority. Another charge says that on March 20, 2024, he received $500,000 from Mr Abubakar under similar conditions.

The EFCC added in another count that Bodejo took $980,000 in cash from Mr Abubakar on February 7, 2024. Some charges say that Bodejo took these various amounts totaling $2.53 million knowing they were proceeds from illegal activities, specifically money laundering.

This alleged conduct breaks Section 18(2)(d) of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The punishment is a prison term of at least four years but not more than 14 years, or a fine of at least five times the value of the crime.

All the alleged offences can attract punishment under different sections of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011 and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

In January, PREMIUM TIMES reported that Bodejo, who has had issues with Nigeria’s security agencies, benefited from large payments from the Bauchi State Government. They described these payments as “security commitment” in records seen by our reporters.

Bodejo reportedly spent about six months in detention in 2024. He briefly faced terrorism charges that year, but the Attorney-General of the Federation withdrew the case without giving reasons.

Bauchi State Government records show they disbursed $2.33 million to Bodejo over four months between 2023 and 2024. In July 2024, the Accountant-General of Bauchi State, Sa’idu Abubakar, wrote to Governor Bala Mohammed for the “regularisation” of these disbursements.

The memo detailed nearly $17 million ($16,985,000) and N75.2 million given to individuals, including Bodejo, from January to July 2024.

The EFCC is also prosecuting Mr Adamu and his co-defendants regarding the funds given to Bodejo. They were arraigned on December 31, 2025, on 10 counts of terrorism financing and various money laundering offences in the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The charges claim they released $2.33 million from the state government to Bodejo and others who allegedly used the money to finance terrorist activities. The defendants reportedly released these funds to Bodejo between January and May 2024.

The prosecution also claims that nearly $7 million of state funds was given for Mr Adamu’s benefit in a money laundering scheme. Judge Emeka Nwite, who handled the case briefly during the court’s Christmas/New Year vacation, denied the defendants’ bail application on January 5. He cited the seriousness of the charges and the social implications of granting bail.

Judge Nwite left the case on January 14 and returned the file to the chief judge for reassignment. On January 21, the new judge, Mohammed Umar, granted bail to the defendants, going against Nwite’s earlier decision less than three weeks before.