Tension is mounting in Taraba State following the arrest of Dr. Abdullahi Bello Bodejo, the National President of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore and a prominent APC senatorial aspirant for Taraba Central.

Bodejo was reportedly apprehended by operatives suspected to be from the Department of State Services (DSS) on Thursday evening, shortly after he concluded a high-profile political consultation in Jalingo, the state capital.

The arrest occurred at the Blue Nile Hotel in Jalingo, where Bodejo and his entourage were staying. Eyewitnesses reported that plain-clothes security personnel whisked the aspirant away to an undisclosed location, just hours after he had submitted his nomination and expression of interest forms at the All Progressives Congress (APC) state secretariat.

His visit to the state had been marked by a massive show of support, with thousands of followers accompanying his motorcade from the Danbaba Suntai Airport through the city center.

The Abdullahi Bello Bodejo Central Zone Senatorial Campaign Council has vehemently condemned the development, describing it as a politically motivated attempt to intimidate a leading contender. In a statement issued by the Director-General of the council, Alhaji Adamu Isa Kurmi, the organization argued that the arrest is an infringement on Bodejo’s fundamental rights. They alleged that the overwhelming crowd that received the aspirant may have unsettled his political rivals, leading to the use of security agencies to derail his campaign.

According to his campaign team, Bodejo had complied with all legal requirements for his visit, including officially notifying relevant security agencies in advance. They expressed confusion over why the same security personnel who provided protection for the aspirant upon his arrival in Jalingo were the ones who later took him into custody.

The team emphasized that Bodejo remains committed to the 2027 race and had recently declared that he would not step down for any candidate despite internal party pressures.

While the DSS and other security agencies have yet to release an official statement regarding the charges or the reason for the detention, Bodejo’s legal team has already been mobilized to secure his release. The situation has caused significant anxiety among his supporters across the six local government areas of Taraba Central.

Local leaders have appealed for calm, urging the public to remain law-abiding while the legal process unfolds.

This incident marks another chapter in Bodejo’s frequent run-ins with security agencies. It follows a highly publicized arrest in 2024 related to the formation of a nomad vigilante group in Nasarawa State a case that was eventually dropped by the federal government.

The current arrest, however, is being viewed through a strictly political lens by his supporters, who see it as a targeted effort to silence a grassroots voice ahead of the upcoming primary elections.

As of Sunday afternoon, the whereabouts of the Miyetti Allah leader remain unknown, fueling rumors and political speculation across the state. The APC leadership in Taraba has not yet commented on the arrest of its aspirant, but observers suggest that the incident could further polarize the party’s internal dynamics in the lead-up to the senatorial primaries.