Operatives of the Department of State Service, on Friday, whisked away the national president of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, to their headquarters after he was released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
This is just as the family members of embattled Bodejo expressed shock over his re-arrest by the DSS after he had perfected his bail conditions, arguing that the security operatives’ actions were not in tandem with the rule of law.
Daily Trust reports that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on July 20, granted Bodejo bail in the sum of ₦2bn over his ongoing trial for alleged $2.63m money laundering.
He was first arraigned on July 9 by the EFCC on a multi-count charge bordering on alleged money laundering involving about $2.63m, after which he pleaded not guilty to all the charges.
Bodejo had, however, continued to remain in detention until his bail condition was finally perfected by his lawyers, earlier on Wednesday.
Narrating how her husband was taken away, wife of the detained leader, Hajiya Hauwa Bodejo, explained that the security operatives besieged the entrance of the EFCC headquarters for hours on Friday.
Hajiya Hauwa, who reiterated the family’s demand for justice in her husband’s trial, lamented continued deterioration of his health condition.
According to her, Bello Bodejo’s personal physician had on several occasions been denied access to his patient ever since his earlier arrest, which she said was now running to three months.
“The EFCC had communicated to his lawyers on Thursday night, demanding them to come forward along with the court officials for his release, scheduled on Friday.
“The information was passed to the court officials, who had, however responded that they had no business going back to the anti-graft agency, since they have presented them with a document, regarding his bail condition’s perfection.
“So, we went to the EFCC headquarters on Friday, where we discovered that he was already brought out from the detention, as they were just waiting for our presence to release him.
“But to the shock of our belief, as we were leaving the EFCC premises, the officials of the DSS, whose presence we noticed around the EFCC’s gate, rushed toward my husband, and suddenly whisked him away, in the company of three vans,” Hauwa said.
The secret police could not be reached for official comments on why the Miyetti Allah leader was picked up as mail sent to the official email address was yet to be responded to as of the time of filing this report.
A source within the EFCC confided in Daily Trust that Bodejo had been released from their custody upon perfection of his bail conditions.
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