Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled the trial of Bello Bodejo, the detained leader of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, for May 29.
This decision comes after the court rejected the accused person’s application for bail. During the previous hearing, the trial was supposed to commence, but Bodejo’s absence hindered the proceedings.
Following the court’s decision to set a trial date, Bodejo’s counsel, Ahmed Raji, expressed his client’s readiness for the trial. Raji also stated that since the court has ordered a speedy hearing, there is currently no need to appeal the ruling on Bodejo’s bail.
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader was arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for allegedly establishing an ethnic militia group called Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, which promotes terrorism.
He has been in the custody of the DIA in Abuja since then. In March, he was charged with three counts of violating the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF). Bodejo has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Prior to the court’s ruling on his bail application, his lawyer appealed to Justice Ekwo to grant his client bail based on various grounds, including ill health and fundamental rights. However, the judge dismissed the bail application.
