The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 12-count charge against Bello Abdullahi Bodejo before a Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged terrorism financing and money laundering offences involving a total of $2.53 million.
According to court documents filed by the anti-graft agency on June 22, 2026, Bodejo is accused of receiving and possessing large sums of foreign currency suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities, in violation of Nigeria’s money laundering laws. The defendant is expected to be arraigned before the court in the coming days to take his plea as formal prosecution proceedings commence.
The EFCC alleged that several cash transactions involving hundreds of thousands of dollars were conducted outside the banking system and exceeded the statutory thresholds permitted under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, as amended, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In one of the charges, prosecutors alleged that Bodejo knowingly accepted $100,000 in cash from a former Bauchi State Accountant-General, Sa’idu Abubakar, on January 11, 2022, without routing the funds through a financial institution as required by law. The EFCC stated in the charge that the transaction exceeded the legal cash transaction limit and constituted an offence under the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
A second count alleges that Bodejo received another $200,000 in cash from the same source on January 21, 2022, under similar circumstances. Prosecutors further accused him of accepting additional cash payments, including $500,000 on March 20, 2024, and $980,000 on February 7, 2024, allegedly outside the banking system and in breach of anti-money laundering regulations.
One of the most serious allegations is contained in count ten of the charge, where the EFCC claimed that Bodejo took possession of $980,000 in Abuja on or about February 7, 2024, despite allegedly knowing, or having reasonable grounds to suspect, that the funds were proceeds of unlawful activity linked to money laundering.
The anti-graft agency maintained that the alleged offences violate various provisions of both the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011, and the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The offences, if proven, carry significant penalties under Nigerian law.
The case is expected to draw national attention, particularly as Bodejo has been linked in public discourse to Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, although the charge sheet released by the EFCC focuses solely on allegations against Bodejo.
With the filing of the charges, attention now shifts to the Federal High Court in Abuja, where the defendant is expected to enter his plea and the prosecution will begin presenting evidence in what could become one of the most closely watched financial crime cases of the year.
