There was growing anxiety on Saturday in Taraba State following the alleged arrest of the President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, reportedly by operatives of the Department of State Services.
Bodejo, who is contesting the Taraba Central Senatorial seat ahead of the 2027 general elections, was said to have been picked up on Thursday evening shortly after a political engagement with supporters in Jalingo, the state capital.
Sources said the Fulani socio-political leader had earlier been received by a large crowd drawn from the six local government areas of the senatorial district during consultations linked to his ambition.
He was reportedly taken into custody by armed men in plain clothes suspected to be DSS operatives around 6:30pm at the Blue Nile Hotel in Jalingo and moved to an undisclosed location.
Reacting to the development, the Abdullahi Bello Bodejo Central Zone Senatorial Campaign Council condemned the alleged arrest, describing it as politically motivated and an attempt to stifle democratic participation.
In a statement issued in Jalingo on Saturday by its Director-General, Alhaji Adamu Isa Kurmi, the group alleged that the arrest followed Bodejo’s visit to the Taraba State Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress as part of consultations ahead of the senatorial race.
The campaign council described the development as a breach of the aspirant’s fundamental rights and an act of intimidation targeted at his growing political engagement in Taraba Central.
It further claimed that the large turnout of supporters that accompanied Bodejo from the airport through major parts of Jalingo to the APC secretariat may have triggered concern among his political rivals.
According to the statement, Bodejo had duly complied with all legal requirements for his senatorial ambition, including the purchase and submission of nomination and expression of interest forms.
The council added that security agencies had been duly notified ahead of his visit, with acknowledgement copies of the notification reportedly obtained.
While urging supporters to remain calm and law-abiding, the campaign organisation disclosed that legal steps had already been activated to secure his release.
As of press time, neither the DSS nor any other security agency had issued an official statement confirming or denying the alleged arrest.
