An Abuja High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to release the detained president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo, pending the resolution of his trial. Mohammed Zubairu, sitting as a vacation judge, issued the ruling after an ex-parte motion was filed by Bodejo’s lawyer, Reuben Atabo.

The court instructed the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Lateef Fagbemi, and the DSS Director-General, Adeola Ajayi, to immediately grant Bodejo administrative bail. The motion, filed on December 19, sought the release of Bodejo from DSS custody while awaiting the determination of his substantive application.

The ruling, made on Monday, was formally documented and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the following day.

Bodejo had requested that the court compel his release pending the hearing of his case. He also sought permission to apply for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge the legality of his detention by the DSS. Habeas corpus is a legal procedure used to seek relief from unlawful detention, compelling authorities to justify the detention’s legality.

The Miyetti Allah leader has sued both the AGF and the DG of the DSS as the first and second respondents in the case.