Alhaji Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has secured a variation of his bail conditions after a Federal High Court in Abuja reduced his bail from ₦2 billion to ₦1 billion.
Justice Salim Ibrahim, sitting as a vacation judge, granted Bodejo’s application on Wednesday, easing the stringent conditions earlier imposed by the trial court.
The judge ordered that Bodejo provide two sureties in like sum, with one of them owning landed property valued at ₦1 billion in either Guzape, Asokoro or Maitama in the Federal Capital Territory.
Justice Ibrahim also directed that the sureties submit photocopies of their driver’s licences, National Identification Numbers (NIN) or international passports to the court for verification.
He subsequently ordered that the case file be returned to the court of Justice Inyang Ekwo for the continuation of the substantive hearing.
Bodejo is standing trial on a six-count charge filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which accused him of laundering $2.63 million. He pleaded not guilty to the charges when he was arraigned on 9 July.
Justice Ekwo had earlier admitted the Miyetti Allah leader to bail on 20 July in the sum of ₦2 billion, with two sureties in like sum. The initial conditions required one surety to provide evidence of three years’ tax clearance and the other to own landed property worth ₦2 billion within Abuja.
The latest ruling reduces both the bail amount and the property value required of one of the sureties, while leaving the substantive trial to continue before Justice Ekwo.
