Nasarawa gov pressured me to connect militia team – Miyetti Allah chief confesses

Bello Bodejo, the President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, has alleged that Abdullahi Sule, the governor of Nasarawa State, pressured him to connect ethnic militia team, Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.

Bodejo, who was arrested by operatives of the Defence Intelligence Agency on January 23, 2024, is facing terrorism charges.

The Miyetti Allah chief was apprehended at the group’s office in the Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State for allegedly unveiling a militia group and has been in custody.

He was arraigned before Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja on three counts of terrorism on March 22, 2024.

Bodejo was accused of organising the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya ethnic militia in Nasarawa State without authorisation, an offence said to be punishable under Section 29 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

However, in his confessional statement obtained by Punch Newspaper, Bodejo alleged that the Nasarawa State governor was behind the formation of the militia group.

Punch quoted him to have acknowledged that he acquired a call from the governor earlier in the 365 days expressing his prefer to connect a vigilante team various from these of his counterparts.

Bodejo said, “I was arrested because of the vigilantes I paraded in Nasarawa State. In early January 2024, Governor Sule called me and said he wanted me to inform him about a Fulani group called Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, which I told him I did not know about. The governor said the reason he called me was because all the governors had agreed to form vigilante groups in their states, like Katsina State had done, but he did not want to organise his own like other governors.

“He said he wanted to use all those who participated in the political rally before the election. And he intended to link them with the Navy so they would work for him as vigilantes. The governor asked if I could also work with Akajo, the leader of the group, and I told him I couldn’t go all the way down to work with Akajo because I am from the national level. Later, I called Akajo to meet me, and we discussed how to operate the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya in the state. I told the Emir of Lafia that people complained about the group and I did not support them.

“However, I asked Akajo about the gathering of his men. He said there were about 700 men. I requested their ID cards, which he showed me; the ID cards were authentic and signed by the CSO to the Nasarawa State governor. About two weeks later, Governor A. A. Sule called me to come back with Akajo.”

Bodejo said that he met with Akajo and Sule at the Governor’s Resort in Abuja.

He said that despite informing the governor of the negative narratives about Akajo’s group, he insisted that he (Bodejo) worked with him.

Bodejo said, “So, I left Bauchi and sent for Akajo to meet me at the Governor’s Lodge. When I arrived at the lodge, I met Akajo with the governor. The governor asked what was going on between me and Akajo. I told him that Akajo and his team were damaging the governor’s reputation by causing crises, stealing cattle, and killing people.

“They went and cleared the Toto LGA project. After they arrived, they gathered the Fulani and pressured them. The Fulani fled, leaving the cattle. Akajo and his team collected the cattle and sold them. The governor insisted that I must work with him.”

The Miyetti Allah chief stated that several other individuals from the Nasarawa, Obi, and Kyana local government areas of the state who were expected to join Akajo’s team withdrew because Akajo did not give them their share of the funds provided by the governor.

He mentioned, “I suggested the governor that I requested for the team’s list from Akajo so that I could perhaps perhaps additionally join it with my other folks to abolish up the 2,000 and that he had no longer given me. The governor mentioned we must have a assembly in Lafia. For the length of the assembly, I suggested the Ardos what the governor wanted to manufacture with the Kuniya Zaman Lafiya and they bought the postulate. For the length of the assembly, one member of the Kunya Zaman Lafiya complained that they weren’t making the most of one thing else. I without prolong known as the governor to expose him.

“The governor confirmed that all funds were released to Akajo for the team, so it was Akajo who did not disburse them. Following this revelation, the people were angered, and the people from Nasarawa, Obi, and Kyana LGAs said they would not join Akajo’s team. The governor advised that I should disband the current 700 members of the Akajo team and, if possible, disband it entirely up to 1,000.”

Bodejo added that after the meeting, he met with one of his visitors, Captain Ahmed Chiroma (retd.), who advised him to dissolve the institution of the team altogether.

According to him, Chiroma prepared a written statement, which they both presented to the governor.

Bodejo claimed that as soon as the governor was presented with the write-up, he rejected it, Punch reported.

He said, “After the meeting, I met one of my visitors, Captain Ahmed Chiroma (retd.), who is the deputy secretary of the Presidential Mediate Tank and explained everything to him. Captain confirmed that I was correct; he said he would prepare a write-up for the governor, which he did, and the two of us went to present it to the governor. I don’t know what he wrote but after the governor read the paper, he said no, that he wanted to flee the state the way he wanted.”

Bodejo said the governor then advised him to meet with the Secretary to the State Executive to discuss the cost of procuring kits for 1,000 members of the team.

The Miyetti Allah leader said Chiroma warned him to be cautious because the formation of the team had been illegal.

He added, “The governor said I must meet the SSG and show him the cost of procuring 1,000 uniforms and kits. Chiroma warned me to be cautious with the governor because what he was doing was illegal. That is not 1; the governor cannot simply raise one tribe of Fulani as vigilantes, and secondly, he cannot raise one as security. He did not establish schools for them, only this security vigilante team.”

Bodejo mentioned the governor called him the following day to inquire about the arrangements made for the establishment of the team, adding he pleaded with Sule to give him two weeks.

Not knowing what to do, Bodejo mentioned he contacted Chiroma who advised him to form a nomad vigilante team and register it with the Corporate Affairs Commission.

He said, “The next day, I was on my way to Bauchi and the governor called me. So I went to see him in Lafia and he inquired about the arrangements. I asked him to give us two weeks. I informed Akajo and sent a text message to Captain Chiroma, who agreed that we should meet in Bauchi. While in Bauchi, Chiroma told me that I should inform the governor that we would not use the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, but we would use Miyetti Allah and register it as a nomadic vigilante team.

“The governor said he had released funds for the uniform that I should contact the SSG, and when I contacted him (SSG), he directed me to the state Deputy Commissioner of Police. He gave me N14,500,000, but I learned that the governor gave N15,000,000. I told Captain Chiroma about the money and he said that we should quickly register the nomadic vigilante team with the CAC to give us cover. We registered the team and were issued a certificate.”

Bodejo said that after registering the team, he obtained the uniforms and introduced them to the governor.

The Miyetti Allah chief said the governor was very angry and asked him to put Kungiya Zaman Lafiya on the badges of the uniforms.

He said, “We sewed the uniforms and attached badges that showed the Nomadic Vigilante Community of Nigeria. When we took the sample to the governor, he asked us who told us that what he wanted was Kungiya Zaman Lafiya. He said I must remove the badges of the Nomadic Vigilante Community from the uniform and put Kungiya Zaman Lafiya. The governor was very angry with me and I left.”

He alleged that the governor directed him to return with the Commissioner of Police and Director of the Department of State Services to his office.

Though he noted that the assembly ended before he reached the governor’s office, Bodejo said Sule directed him to parade the team on January 17, 2024.

He added, “On January 12, 2024, the governor called me and I told him I was in Bauchi. He said I should come with the State Commissioner of Police and the Director of the DSS. However, before I could come from Bauchi, they had completed the assembly. I met the governor after the Jummat prayer and he said I should meet him in his office. He said he had directed that we must parade the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya with the uniform on January 17, 2024. He told me that he met the Commissioner of Police and the DSS Director.”

Bodejo said he met with the CP who was in support of the governor’s directive, but the DSS director advised him to use wisdom.

He said, “I met the Commissioner of Police and asked him if he supported the governor’s understanding and he said yes. When I met the Director of DSS, he said all of us knew that what the governor was doing was wrong but that he was the governor; that if I said I couldn’t do it, he would consider me an enemy of the state and sponsoring bandits. He advised me that I should be wise about it.”

The Miyetti Allah chief mentioned he was given N7.5m out of the N15m released by the governor to transport members of the team and to book the hall for the disclosure.

He said, “The Deputy Commissioner of Police gave me N7,500,000 out of the N15,000,000 released by the governor for the transportation of the team members to Lafia and payment for the hall in Lafia.”

Bodejo mentioned that on the day of the disclosure, the governor, his SSG, and various officers were absent.

He said, “On January 17, 2024, we gathered all the members in the hall in Lafia. Upon arriving at the venue, I did not see the governor and the SSG. I called the governor and he told me he was in Abuja because the judgment on his case would come up on January 18, 2024, at the Supreme Court and that I should proceed. I asked about the SSG or any governor’s representative. He gave various excuses for their absence. Then I sensed trouble.”

He mentioned after the exercise, he realised that the governor planned to remove him from the equation to have full control of the team to “commit ghastly activities against the Fulani.”

Bodejo mentioned, “The governor directed that I must march the team to the office of the Commissioner of Police after the ceremony. I did precisely that. Nonetheless, it dawned on me after the whole exercise that the governor’s agenda was to extricate me from the scene so that he could possibly also have his way to use the team to his advantage.

“I know that I am the only one who can stop the team from committing ghastly activities against the Fulani. So now that I am arrested, his purpose has been achieved because he knows that I never liked the team before he tactically involved me and backed out at the beginning.”

Sule’s aide reacts

When contacted by Punch, an aide to the governor denied Sule’s involvement in the establishment of the Kungiya Zaman Lafiya.

Speaking on the topic on Friday, the Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Public Affairs, Peter Ahemba, urged members of the general public to ignore any rumour linking his principal with the establishment of the militia as there was no iota of fact in it.

He said, “The Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule, has no hand in the establishment of the Nomad Vigilante Community of Nigeria.

“The governor cannot authorise such an institution when it has not been backed by the laws of the land.

“Governor Sule, being a one that believes in the rule of legislation, would possibly perhaps perhaps additionally no longer have factual favorite or encouraged any individual to characteristic an illegal vigilante team.

“I am urging members of the public to ignore such misinformation and rumour because there is no truth in it. So, no one or group of people should draw him into a subject that he knows nothing about.”