Court jails ‘Mama Boko Haram’ over N120.5m fraud — fourth conviction in six months

Court jails ‘Mama Boko Haram’ over N120.5m fraud — fourth conviction in six months

A high court in Borno state has sentenced Aisha Wakil, better known as Mama Boko Haram, to 10 years imprisonment for fraud.

Wakil was convicted on Thursday alongside Tahiru Daura and Prince Lawal, for conspiracy, cheating, and obtaining N120,500,000.00 by false pretence.

The defendants were arraigned in 2019 by the Maiduguri zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a five-count amended charge.

In one of the counts, they were accused of obtaining the sum of N45 million “from one Mohammed Umar Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited under the false pretence of executing a purported contract of supply, installation and servicing of 10 pieces of Chison 600A, 2009 version deluxe ultrasound system”, in 2018.

In count four, they allegedly obtained 3,000 bags of 50kg of white beans worth N65,000,000.00 “from one Mohammed Umar Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited under the pretence of executing a purported contract of supply of the said beans”.

They had pleaded “not guilty” to the charge.

During the trial, the prosecution, led by Mukhtar Ahmed, a lawyer, called seven witnesses, including Shehu Usman, an investigator with the EFCC, who testified that “Complete and Aid Care Foundation, an NGO (run by the defendants), was run as a Ponzi scheme, by robbing Peter to pay Paul”.

Although the defendants filed a no-case submission after the prosecution closed its case, their application was dismissed on September 27, 2021.

Delivering judgment, Aisha Kumaliya, the presiding judge, held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.

“The court hereby finds you Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyade guilty and convicted you as charged,” the judge held.

On the first count, they were sentenced to seven years imprisonment, 10 years on the second count, and five years imprisonment on the third count.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The judge ordered the convicts to jointly restitute the sum of N66 million to the nominal complainant or serve an additional seven-year jail term each.