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Anxiety is growing in Taraba State following the alleged arrest of the President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, by suspected operatives of the Department of State Services.
Bodejo, who is seeking to contest the Taraba Central Senatorial seat in the 2027 general elections, was reportedly arrested on Thursday evening shortly after meeting supporters in Jalingo, the state capital.
The Miyetti Allah leader was said to have received a large welcome from supporters drawn from the six local government areas that make up the senatorial district during his visit to the state.
Reacting to the development, the Abdullahi Bello Bodejo Central Zone Senatorial Campaign Council condemned the alleged arrest, describing it as politically motivated and a threat to democratic engagement.
In a statement issued in Jalingo by the Director-General of the campaign council, Alhaji Adamu Isa Kurmi, on Saturday, the organisation alleged that Bodejo was arrested shortly after visiting the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat as part of consultations ahead of his senatorial ambition.
The statement claimed that Bodejo was taken away from the Blue Nile Hotel in Jalingo at about 6:30 pm by plain-clothes operatives suspected to be DSS officials and moved to an undisclosed location.
“The campaign council views this development as a violation of the aspirant’s fundamental rights and an act of intimidation against his planned consultations with party leaders and supporters across Taraba Central Senatorial District,” the statement said.
The council also alleged that the large crowd that accompanied Bodejo from the Jalingo airport through major parts of the city to the APC secretariat may have unsettled his political opponents.
According to the organisation, the aspirant had complied with all legal and political requirements connected to his senatorial bid, including the purchase and submission of nomination and expression of interest forms.
It further stated that relevant security agencies had been formally informed ahead of the visit and that acknowledgement copies of the notifications were duly obtained.
The campaign council appealed to supporters to remain peaceful and law-abiding, while noting that Bodejo’s legal team had already begun efforts to secure his release.
As of the time of filing this report, the DSS and other security agencies had yet to issue any official statement regarding the alleged arrest.
Tension in Taraba over alleged arrest of Miyetti Allah leader Bodejo
