Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri on Wednesday convicted and sentenced Aisha Alkali Wakil, popularly known as “Mama Boko Haram,” along with Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode, to 14 years imprisonment each for fraud.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) disclosed this in a statement signed by its spokesperson, Dele Oyewale.
The trio was arraigned by the EFCC’s Maiduguri Zonal Command on September 14, 2020, on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining ₦11 million by false pretence.
According to the EFCC, the defendants—then serving as CEO, Programme Manager, and Country Director of the NGO Complete Care and Aid Foundation—fraudulently obtained the sum under the guise of executing a contract for the supply, installation, and servicing of two X-Ray machines. The money was paid by one Muhammed Ambare of Muhammed Ambare Ventures into an account belonging to Saidu Mukhtar, who is currently at large. The contract was never fulfilled, and no refund was made.
Count two of the charge stated that the defendants “with intent to defraud, obtained the sum of ₦11 million from one Muhammed Ambare… under the false pretence of executing a purported contract… which you knew to be false.” The offence contravenes Section 1(1)(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and is punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Despite pleading not guilty, the court proceeded to full trial. The prosecution, led by counsels Mukhtar Ali Ahmed and S.O. Saka, presented one witness and tendered several documents as evidence.
After several adjournments sought by the defendants, Justice Kumaliya delivered judgment, convicting them on both counts and sentencing them to seven years imprisonment each per count. The sentences are to run concurrently.
The court also ordered the convicts to jointly and severally pay ₦8 million in restitution to the petitioner or face an additional seven-year jail term.
Their conviction stems from a fraudulent scheme involving the award of a fictitious contract, which resulted in the diversion of ₦11 million meant for medical equipment.
