Mama Boko Haram bags another jail term over N66m fraud

A high court in Borno state has sentenced Aisha Wakil, better known as ‘Mama Boko Haram’, to seven years imprisonment over N66 million fraud.

The Maiduguri zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Wakil, alongside Tahiru Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyede, on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing in 2019.

The defendants, as promoters and managers of a non-governmental organisation — Complete Care and Aids Foundation — were alleged to have, on September 7, 2018, induced one Ali Tijjani and his company, AMTMAT Global Ventures, to supply N51 million worth of processed maize grain, also known as ‘biski’, for which they refused to pay.

According to the EFCC, AMTMAT Global Ventures processed and funded the trip of the trio to Morocco to the tune of N15 million, “a cost they refused to defray”.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to all the charges upon arraignment.

The EFCC had, through its counsel, Mukhtar Ahmed, presented five witnesses and tendered several exhibits before closing its case on September 1, 2020.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Aisha Kumaliya, the presiding judge, said the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

According to a statement by Wilson Uwujaren, EFCC spokesman, the judge pronounced all the defendants guilty as charged.

“The judge sentenced Wakil, Daura and Shoyede to seven years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy without option of fine, and seven years on the count of cheating also without option of fine,” the statement reads.

“On the second count of cheating, the court sentenced the convicts to seven years imprisonment each without an option of fine.

“In addition, the court ordered the defendants to pay the sum of N51m to Ali Tijjani or in default, serve fifteen years imprisonment.

“In addition, the first, second and third defendants are to each pay the sum of N3,750,000.00 (Three Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) to Ali Tijjani or in default, serve five years imprisonment each.

“The sentence is to start running at the expiration of any sentence that this court or any other court had awarded the convicted persons before this judgment.”

On June 14, the same court had convicted the trio on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N71,400,000.

They were sentenced to five years imprisonment without an option of a fine.