February 13, (THEWILL) – The Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, has convicted and sentenced Aisha Alkali Wakil, a.k.a Mama Boko Haram, Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Soyade, to ten years imprisonment.
A statement by Dele Oyewale, the Spokesperson of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), said the defendants were jailed following their arraignment by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the anti-graft agency, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense to the tune of N40m.
Count two of the charge reads: “That you Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyade, whilst being the Chief Executive Officer, Programme Manager and Country Director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, (a Non-Governmental Organisation) and Saidu Mukhtar (At large), sometime in Maiduguri, Borno State, within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Forty Million Naira (N40, 000, 000.00), from one Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Executive Officer of Duty-Free Shop Ltd under the false pretence of executing a purported contract for the supply of Five (5) X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section (1) 1 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3), of the same Act.”
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to them. Counsel for the prosecution counsel, A. I Arogha, presented four witnesses and tendered seventeen exhibits before the court.
Consequently, Justice Umaru Fadawu, convicted and sentenced them to ten years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy.
The court further sentenced the defendants to ten years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining by false pretence and ordered them to jointly and severally pay the sum of N40m to Bashir Muhammad.
“The prison term shall run concurrently on the expiration of all prison terms imposed on the convicts by any court”, the Judge said.
The convicts’ journey to the Correctional Centre began when a petitioner alleged that they swindled him through a purported contract for the supply of five (5) X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy to a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Complete Care and Aid Foundation, worth N40m. They neither supplied the machines nor returned the contract sum to the petitioner.
THEWILL recalls that the Borno State High Court, had in December 2022, sentenced Mama Boko Haram to 10 years imprisonment for similar fraud.
The convict, alongside one Tahiru Daura and Prince Lawal, 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.
Justice Aisha Kumaliya held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants and held that “The court hereby finds you Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyade guilty and convicted you as charged.”
Mama Boko Haram had before that bagged three convictions attracting a cumulative 19 years imprisonment.
In September 2022, she and two others were sentenced to 7 years in prison for defrauding victims of over N15 million.
In August 2022, a high court in Borno state sentenced her to 7 years in prison for defrauding victims of N66 million.
In June 2022, a court sentenced Mama Boko Haram to 5 years in prison for her involvement in a N71.4 million fraud scheme.
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