“Mama Boko Haram” and two others jailed for 10 years for 40m Fraud

Oluwasegun SanusiFebruary 13, 20241 Mins read526

Aisha Alkali Wakili, commonly known as Mama Boko Haram, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison. In a Verdict delivered by Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, Wakili was sentenced alongside Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Soyade for their involvement in a N40 million fraud case.

The trio, charged by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 5, 2020, faced accusations of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense.

The charges stemmed from their roles as executives of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, a non-governmental organisation.

The conviction was based on evidence presented by the prosecution, led by counsel A.I Arogha, which included testimony from four witnesses and seventeen exhibits.

The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, but Justice Fadawu found them guilty, ruling that they had obtained the sum of N40 million from Bashir Abubakar under false pretense.

The court ordered the defendants to jointly pay the sum of N40 million to the victim. Additionally, they were sentenced to ten years imprisonment each for conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense. The terms are to run concurrently after any previous sentences imposed by other courts.

“The prison term shall run concurrently on the expiration of all prison terms imposed on the convicts by any court”, the Judge said.

The case began when the victim, Bashir Abubakar, alleged that the defendants deceived him into a fraudulent contract for the supply of X-ray machines with solar energy. Despite receiving the funds, they failed to fulfill the contract, leading to their arrest and subsequent conviction.