A Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced Aisha Alkali Wakil, widely known as “Mama Boko Haram,” along with two others, to 14 years in prison each for defrauding a businessman of N11 million under the guise of executing a contract for medical equipment.
Presiding over the matter on Wednesday, 25 June 2025, Justice Aisha Kumaliya found Wakil, Tahiru Saidu Daura, and Prince Lawal Shoyode guilty of a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), in a statement issued by its Head of Media and Publicity, Mr Dele Oyewale, confirmed the conviction. The defendants, all officials of the NGO Complete Care and Aid Foundation, were found to have swindled one Muhammed Ambare of Muhammed Ambare Ventures in 2018 by falsely claiming they would supply, install, and service two X-Ray machines (Model 1800).
The defendants denied the charges when arraigned on 14 September 2020, leading to a full trial. During the proceedings, EFCC counsel Mukhtar Ali Ahmed and S.O. Saka called one witness and submitted documentary evidence that implicated the accused.
Justice Kumaliya, in her judgment, sentenced each of the convicts to seven years on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently. In addition, they were ordered to jointly pay N8 million in restitution to the victim. Failure to do so would attract an additional seven years of imprisonment.
According to the EFCC, the fraudulent deal began in July 2018, when the trio deceived Ambare into transferring N11 million into the account of one Saidu Muktar, who is currently at large. The contract, which involved the supply and servicing of medical equipment, was never fulfilled.
The court held that their conduct violated 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 law.
