The Nigerian government has filed a criminal charge against Bello Bodejo, the head of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore faction, regarding the alleged unauthorized formation of an ethnic militia group.
This charge was presented to the federal high court in Abuja on March 12.
Bodejo was apprehended on January 23 at the Miyetti Allah headquarters in Karu LGA of Nasarawa state, following the introduction of a vigilante group.
The Fulani socio-cultural organization recently unveiled this vigilante group in Nasarawa.
Bodejo asserted that the "nomad vigilante group" would aid security agencies in addressing crime in the north-central state.
READ ALSO: Woman Receives Prison Sentence for Failing to Use Pedestrian Bridge
The federal government obtained an order to detain Bodejo for 15 days under the custody of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
Following the expiration of this order, Inyang Ekwo, the presiding judge, extended the detention by seven additional days.
Moreover, the judge directed the federal government to formally charge the accused and ordered for his appearance in court on the next scheduled date.
On Wednesday, the state failed to present Bodejo in court.
Nonetheless, Yetunde Imana, a representative from the office of the attorney general of the federation (AGF), informed the court of the filed charge against Bodejo, although Ekwo mentioned not having received the case file yet.
Mohammed Sheriff, Bodejo's legal counsel, notified the court of a pending bail application for his client.
Sheriff proceeded to present the application, seeking bail for his client.
In response, Imana urged the court to dismiss the bail application citing "national security" concerns.
Ekwo postponed the ruling on the application to March 22.
On Wednesday, members of the Miyetti Allah staged a protest outside the federal high court in Abuja, demanding Bodejo's release.
Comments
Post a Comment