The Department of State Services (DSS) says Bello Bodejo, president of Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, is not in its custody.

Peter Afunanya, spokesperson of the DSS, clarified this in a statement on Tuesday evening.

“He’s not with the DSS,” Afunanya said in a response to an enquiry seeking confirmation of Bodejo’s purported arrest by the secret police.

There have been reports that Bodejo was arrested by the DSS on Tuesday at the Miyetti Allah’s office in Karu LGA of Nasarawa state, over the unveiling of a vigilante group.

The Fulani socio-cultural organisation had unveiled a vigilante group in Nasarawa last week.

Bodejo had said the “Nomad vigilante group” would assist security agencies in combatting criminal activities in the north-central state.

He said the vigilante group is made up of 1,144 Fulani youths selected from various communities in the 13 LGAs of the state.

He added that profiling of persons interested in joining the vigilante group was ongoing, noting that the target was to recruit up to 4,000 youths.

“Every ethnic group has criminal elements among them, so if a Fulani man or woman commits a crime, he or she should be treated as a criminal just like others and not a Fulani criminal,” Bodejo had said.