Bello Bodejo, the President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has initiated legal proceedings against the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), challenging his arrest and prolonged detention without arraignment.
In an ex parte motion filed on Thursday before a high court in Abuja, Bodejo’s legal counsel, Reuben Atabo, sought his client’s immediate release from DSS custody, pending the hearing of a substantive application. The motion also requested the court’s permission to file a habeas corpus subjiciendum order, compelling the DSS to present legal justification for his detention.
Bodejo’s family reported that he was apprehended on December 9 by officers from the Nigerian Army’s 117 Battalion in Maliya, Nasarawa State. According to his lawyer, Bodejo was held at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) facility in Abuja until December 18, when he was transferred to DSS custody.
The suit contends that Bodejo’s detention violates his fundamental rights under the Nigerian Constitution and seeks the court’s intervention to secure his immediate release or ensure he is charged appropriately.
The DSS and AGF are yet to comment on the case, as the court deliberates on the motion and its implications for the legality of his arrest and detention.
