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…Sentences Al-Qaeda-Linked Terrorists To Life Imprisonment
ABUJA – A Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday granted embattled Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, to N2 billion bail with two sureties in the like sum.
Justice Inyang Ekwo, in a ruling on Bodejo’s bail application, ordered that one of the sureties must present three years tax clearance before the court and must reside in Abuja.
Justice Ekwo also ordered that the second surety must have a land worth N2 billion in Abuja.
The judge equally ordered Bodejo to drop his international passport with the registrar of the court and must not travel outside the country without the leave of the court.
The judge agreed that the offence with which the defendant was charged was bailable and the court has the discretionary power to exercise this in his favour. He adjourned the matter until October 5, October 6 and October 7, 2026, respectively, for commencement of the criminal proceedings.
Trial Judge, Justice Ekwo, had, on July 9, 2026, remanded the Miyetti Allah president in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission’s (EFCC) custody. The judge gave the order following Bodejo’s arraignment by the EFCC on alleged money laundering offences.
The EFCC counsel, Wahab Shittu (SAN), had named Bodejo as sole defendant in the charge dated June 24 and filed June 25, 2026. After the charge was read to Bodejo, he pleaded not guilty to all the counts.
Shittu then applied for a trial date and urged the court to order his remand. Ahmed Raji (SAN) informed the court about the bail application for his client. Moving the motion, Raji said the application was dated and filed on June 30, 2026.
The lawyer submitted that the offences with which Bodejo was charged bordered on money laundering.
According to him, under Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), they are bailable offences.
He, therefore, urged the court to admit the defendant to bail. But Shittu opposed Raji’s application for bail for the embattled Bodejo. Court Sentences Al-Qaeda-Linked Terrorists To Life Imprisonment Meanwhile, Abubakar Abba, the commander of Ansaru, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorist group, prosecuted for alleged terrorism by the Department of the State Service (DSS), has been sentenced to life imprisonment by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja.
Abba, aka Abu Bara, bagged the life jail along his co-accused, Mahmud Usman, aka Isah Adam/ Mahmud, on Monday, when they pleaded guilty to the 32-count terrorism charge brought against them by the DSS on behalf of the Federal Government.
Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the jail term while delivering judgment in the case.
The two convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment in counts 30 and 31 while they were sentenced to 20 years in the rest of the charges.
The judge ordered that the jail term on the other counts should commence from the date of their arrest.
The convicts were arrested in separate operations between May and July 2025 by the DSS.
They were slammed with a 32-count terrorism charge, including terrorism and terrorism financing, kidnapping for ransom, illegal mining, funding terrorism, fabricating Improvised Explosive Devices (IED), among other charges.
They were accused of coordinating sleeper cells, attacks, and ties to groups in the Sahel/ Maghreb. On arraignment, Usman had pleaded guilty to one-count of illegal mining for funding terrorism/ arms and was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
