Mama Boko Haram, co-defendants bag jail term for N66m fraud

Aisha Alkali Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram and her co-defendants have been sentenced to five years imprisonment by a Borno State High Court.

The conviction and sentencing was handed down by Justice Aisha Kumaliya on Friday, August 12, 2022, following prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Maiduguri Zonal Command, reported The Punch.

Mama Boko Haram, alongside her co-conspirators, Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyede, were found guilty of a three-count charges of conspiracy and stealing to the tune of N66m.

Count two of the charge reads, “That you, Tahiru Saidu Daura, while being a programme manager of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, and Aisha Wakil, being the CEO of Complete Care and Aid Foundation on the 7th September, 2018, in Maiduguri within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, dishonestly induced Ali Tijjani, the CEO and alter ego of AMTMAT Global Ventures to deliver to you, processed maize grains (biski), valued at N51,000,000.00 (Fifty-one Million Naira) which you are yet to pay and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320(a) and punishable under Section 322 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”

The EFCC disclosed in a statement on Friday that the convicts on September 7, 2018, while serving as promoter and managers of a non-governmental organization, Complete Care and Aids Foundation, 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.

The anti-graft agency added that AMTMAT Global Ventures further expended the sum of N15m to facilitate the trip of the trio to Morocco, a cost they refused to defray.

According to the EFCC, the defendants had pleaded “not guilty” to all the charges, leading to their full trial

During the trial, the prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, presented five witnesses and tendered several exhibits before closing the prosecution’s case on September 1, 2020.

Justice Kumaliya held during the Friday judgement that the prosecution had proven the charges against the defendants and pronounced them guilty as charged.

The trio, Wakil, Daura and Shoyede, were then sentenced to seven years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy and seven years on the count of cheating, both without option of fine.

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

The court also ordered the defendants to pay the sum of N51m to Ali Tijjani or in default serve fifteen years imprisonment, in addition to the original sentence.

In addition, the three defendants will also pay the sum of N3, 750,000.00 each 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,” read the EFFC statement.