DSS ‘Arrests’ Taraba Central Senatorial Aspirant Bodejo

Tension gripped Jalingo, the Taraba State capital, on Thursday night, after security operatives, suspected to be personnel of the Department of the State Services (DSS), allegedly arrested the president of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Alhaji Bello Bodejo.

LEADERSHIP gathered the arrest was shortly after Bodejp declared that he would not withdraw from the race for the Taraba Central Senatorial seat under the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

Alhaji Bodejo, who arrived in Jalingo earlier in the day aboard a private jet through the Danbaba Suntai Airport, was received by a large crowd of supporters from the five local government areas of Taraba Central senatorial district.

The APC aspirant later visited the party’s state secretariat, where he addressed party officials and supporters, and reaffirmed his determination to contest the 2027 senatorial election despite alleged pressures on him to withdraw

“I am in this race to win, and nobody is going to force me to step down,” Bodejo declared.

He also dismissed claims of ongoing consultations by a purported consensus committee allegedly constituted by Governor Agbu Kefas, insisting that no one had contacted him.

“The consensus committee set up by the governor has not contacted me, and let me make it clear that I will not step down for anybody, no matter the pressure,” he stated.

However, shortly after leaving the APC secretariat, Bodejo moved to a hotel in Jalingo, alongside political associates and supporters, where he was reportedly arrested by DSS operatives who earlier served as his security escorts.

Our correspondent reports that Bodejo’s personal aide, Umar, confirmed the development in a telephone interview, saying the associates accompanying him were ordered to leave while his principal was detained.

“At the moment, we do not know where he has been taken to. The same security personnel that escorted and protected him from Abuja to Jalingo were the ones who later arrested him.

“We are yet to be informed of the reason for his arrest, and our major concern now is that we do not know where he is being detained,” he added.

As of the time of filing this report, the security agency was yet to issue any official statement regarding the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

Recall that Alhaji Bodejo had previously been arrested in 2024 by operatives of the DSS over allegations linked to the establishment of an illegal vigilante group in Nasarawa State.

He was arrested at the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore headquarters located at Tundun Maliya Cattle Market along the Abuja-Keffi Expressway in Karu Local Government Area of Nasarawa State at the time.

The latest development has sparked speculation in political circles over whether the arrest was connected to his senatorial ambition or other security-related issues.