The House of Representatives has asked the Nigerian Army to release Bello Badejo, the detained president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
Following a motion of urgent public importance moved by Mansur Soro (PDP, Bauchi) during Tuesday’s plenary session, the House resolved that the military should also apologise to Mr Badejo for infringing on his constitutionally guaranteed fundamental human rights.
Mr Badejo was reportedly arrested on 9 December at his office in Maliya, Nasarawa State, by officers of the 117 Battalion of the Nigerian Army.
Moving the motion, Mr Soro described the detained leader of the herders’ group as a “distinguished community leader”.
He accused the military of acting like the police instead of focusing on their mandate of protecting Nigeria against external threats.
“The House is disturbed that the continued detention of Bello Badejo by officers of the Nigerian Army without formal charge(s) is a violation of his fundamental human rights as provided for in Sections 34, 35, and 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended),” he stated in his motion.
Mr Soro also claimed that Mr Badejo was arrested over a dispute between a retired general and the Maliya community.
“The arrest is allegedly in connection with a misunderstanding between a retired military general and some members of the Maliya community,” Mr Soro added.
Following the presentation of the motion, the House also resolved to invite the Chief of Defence Staff, Chris Musa; the Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede; and the Commanding Officer of the 117 Battalion to appear before the House Committees on Army, Human Rights, and Justice on Thursday, 20 December 2024, at 3:00 p.m. to explain why officers under their command violated the relevant provisions of the Nigerian Constitution.
When the motion was put to a vote by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, members unanimously voted in support.
Mr Badejo’s ordeal with the law
Mr Badejo’s group, the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, is a socio-cultural association of predominantly Fulani pastoralists, whose members are often blamed for violent clashes with farmers and residents in Benue, Nasarawa and other states.
Some of their members have also been accused of being responsible for kidnap-for-ransom in different parts of the country. But the group vehemently denies the allegations, maintaining it is a peaceful association of law-abiding citizens.
In March, Mr Badejo was arraigned on a three-count charge filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), in which he was accused of violating the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The government accused him of unlawfully establishing an ethnic militia group, Kungiya Zaman Lafiya. He was held by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
However, it is unclear if the latest arrest is connected with the earlier arrest.