Bodejo’s N2b Bail: Judge Declines Ruling On Application For Bail Condition Variation

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on Thursday, July 23, 2026 declined to deliver ruling on the application for bail condition variation filed by Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader, Bello Bodejo.
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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC on July 9, 2026 arraigned Bodejo on a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of $2.33million.

On Monday, July 20, 2026, the court granted him bail in the sum of ₦2 billion with two sureties in like sum and held that the two sureties must be responsible citizens of which one must be an owner of landed property within the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC.

The court further directed that one of the sureties must present tax clearance certificates, covering 2023 to 2025. In addition, the court ordered the defendant to deposit his passport with the court and directed the Court Registrar to notify the Nigeria Immigration Service of the passport seizure. It also barred the defendant from travelling outside the country or outside the jurisdiction of the court without the prior permission of the court and adjourned till October 5, 6 and 7, 2026, for commencement of trial.

Unable to meet the bail conditions, Bodejo through his counsel, M. E Sheriff, on July 21, 2026, made an application to the court, praying the court to lessen the bail conditions.

At the hearing on Thursday, the defence counsel asked the court to scale down the bail bond from N2 billion to N300 million, with one surety in like sum, while the prosecution counsel, Fatai Erewuimi informed the court of his counter-affidavit, filed on July 22, 2026, wherein he urged the court to discountenance the application and maintain the status quo ante in the interest of justice.

Court

Justice Ekwo in his response disclosed that the annual vacation of the courts which begins on August 3, 2026 makes it impossible for him to see to the conclusion of arguments on the application and deliver ruling.

“There is no way I can take this application and rule before we proceed on vacation. I am of the opinion that you approach a vacation judge to attend to the matter and take the ruling, after which the file should be returned for trial for this court to proceed.

The adjourned dates for the trial of this case are maintained,” he said.
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We Are Equipped Enough to Tackle Newly- Emerging Financial Crimes, Says Olukoyede

The Executive Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Ola Olukoyede has disclosed that though newly-emerging crimes are evolving in the nation’s financial space, the EFCC is sufficiently equipped to confront and conquer them.
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He made this known at the inaugural Town Hall meeting of EFCC’s Zero Tolerance Club of the Ahmadu Bello University, Kongo Campus, Zaria.

Olukoyede, who was represented by Head, Economic Governance Section of the Kaduna Zonal Directorate of the EFCC, ACE II Sadiq Abubakar, in his the keynote address titled, “Following the Money: Legal Loopholes and the Fight Against Corruption in Nigeria,” noted that corruption was one of the biggest challenges confronting Nigeria and other developing countries. Corruption, he observed, “undermines public confidence, weakens institutions, discourages investment, and diverts resources intended for national development, affecting not only government institutions but also the quality of life of ordinary citizens.”

He assured the meeting that, though technology is making fraudsters to devise new schemes to ply their trade, the EFCC equally has modern investigative techniques and innovative enforcement strategies to fight them.
He reaffirmed the Commission’s commitment to advancing anti-corruption advocacies towards rooting out corruption, economic and financial crimes in the country.

Speaking on challenges, the EFCC boss identified delays in the criminal justice system as one of the major challenges in the fight against corruption, explaining that effective anti-corruption efforts require timely investigation, prosecution and adjudication. Prolonged legal proceedings, he noted, weaken cases and erode public confidence in the justice system. He called for the need to strengthen transparency, accountability, and enforcement mechanisms in the system to effectively address the issue of corruption in the country.

The dean, Faculty of Law of Ahmadu Bello University, Professor Salim Bashir Magashi, who represented the Vice Chancellor commended the engagement given the fact that it will help direct the students onto the path of integrity and discourage them from indulging in fraudulent acts.

Ola Olukoyede

The event also featured a debate by members of the Zero Tolerance Club on the topic, “Nigeria Urgently Needs a Specialised Anti-Corruption Court, Separate from Other Courts to Handle EFCC Cases.”

The staff adviser of the Zero Tolerance Club in the school, Bukar Suleiman disclosed that the club was established in the University out of the need to introduce accountability in the students’ union bodies.

He warned the students against engaging in acts of corruption, noting that such acts are capable of ruining their future.
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Trump’s Letter Will Not Save You From Voters, ADC Tells Tinubu

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has reacted to the US President, Donald Trump’s purported letter to President Bola Tinubu, saying that the claimed endorsement by the American President will not save Tinubu from electoral defeat, and that celebrating a diplomatic communication from the President of another country only betrays the President’s “desperation for any form of validation.”
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In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC, Nigeria’s main opposition party, said the letter does not reflect the country’s worsening insecurity and ignores the painful reality that hundreds of women and children are still being held captive in Borno and Kaiama in Kwara State, while several communities in Benue and other parts of the country continue to live under constant fear.

The full statement read:

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has noted the Presidency’s attempt to present President Donald Trump’s letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu as though it were a referendum on the state of the nation. It is not. While we hold the office and person of the President of the United States in high esteem, it is important to note that diplomatic correspondence between heads of state is a normal feature of international relations. Countries cooperate, leaders exchange views, and letters are exchanged.

What is apparent, however, is this administration’s desperation to seize upon any gesture of international recognition as proof of success at home. A letter from a foreign president, however well-intentioned, cannot substitute for the verdict of the Nigerian people. The true measure of any government is not what is written about it abroad, but what its citizens experience every day.

That is why the celebration surrounding this letter is difficult to understand. For the millions of Nigerians still living with the consequences of this government’s failures, President Trump’s communication changes nothing. It did not say that insecurity has been overcome or that Nigerians can once again travel freely, farm safely, and sleep without fear.

Indeed, it is telling that even as the Presidency chose to publicise President Trump’s letter, the United States Department of State’s travel advisory on Nigeria remained unchanged. While the Presidency celebrated what it regards as an endorsement from the White House, the official U.S. government advisory continued to place parts of Nigeria under Level 3 and Level 4 travel warnings, urging American citizens to reconsider travel because of crime, terrorism, civil unrest, kidnapping, and other security concerns.

We therefore wonder how correspondence from a government that designates several Nigerian states as “Do Not Travel” areas can be regarded as an endorsement. That advisory alone is a reminder that, whatever diplomatic courtesies may be exchanged between presidents, the international assessment of Nigeria’s security challenges remains far removed from the picture the Presidency is eager to paint.

The daily reality of Nigerians is shaped not by diplomatic correspondence, but by the guarantee that they can go about their lives without falling victim to violent crime or terrorism. On these defining issues, no letter offers relief, and no foreign commendation can replace the real protection of citizens.

For all intents and purposes, President Trump’s letter is simply communication between one president and another. It does not amount to an endorsement of this government’s overall performance, nor does it absolve the administration of its responsibility to confront the challenges that continue to weigh heavily on more than 200 million Nigerians.

ADC, Tinubu

The Tinubu administration would therefore do well to devote less energy to celebrating letters of courtesy from abroad and more to delivering measurable results at home.

Ultimately, Nigerians will not judge this government by the letters it receives from foreign capitals. They will judge it by whether it improved the lives of the people it was elected to serve.

SIGNED:

Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi
National Publicity Secretary
African Democratic Congress (ADC)
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