EFCC arraigns Miyetti Allah president over alleged $2.63m money laundering
The EFCC has arraigned the national president of Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore on 12 counts of money laundering and terrorism financing.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arraigned the national president of Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore, Bello Bodejo, before a Federal High Court in Abuja on 12 counts of money laundering and terrorism financing.
The anti-graft agency accused Bodejo of financial transactions amounting to $2.63 million, which it said violated Nigeria’s anti-money laundering laws. Bodejo pleaded not guilty to all charges when he was arraigned before Justice Iyang Ekwo.
EFCC counsel Wahab Shittu told the court that the case was scheduled for the defendant to take his plea. Defence counsel Ahmed Raji did not oppose the application. The charges were filed on June 25, 2026, based on a June 24 information.
The court is expected to determine the next steps in the trial following the defendant’s not-guilty plea. Bodejo remains presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore is a prominent socio-cultural association representing Fulani herders in Nigeria. The group has often been at the centre of debates over farmer-herder conflicts, grazing reserves, and anti-open-grazing laws passed by several southern states.
The charges against its president mark a significant escalation in the government’s approach to addressing the linkages between pastoralist groups and security challenges. The EFCC has increasingly targeted individuals and organisations suspected of financing terrorism, reflecting a broader effort to disrupt the financial networks that sustain insurgency and banditry in Nigeria.
This echoes the 2021 designation of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation, which marked a shift in the government’s approach to non-state actors. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: the government using legal instruments to target groups it considers threats to national security.
The winners: the EFCC, which has secured an arraignment; the Nigerian government, which is sending a message; and the legal system, which is being tested. The losers: Miyetti Allah Kauta Hore, which faces a leadership crisis, and the Fulani herding community, which may face increased scrutiny and stigmatisation.
Bottom Line: The president of Miyetti Allah is in court for money laundering and terrorism financing. The charges are serious. The implications for Nigeria’s farmer-herder conflict are even more serious.