…Marks sixth conviction in 30 months
A high court in Maiduguri, Borno state, has sentenced Aisha Wakil, better known as Mama Boko Haram, to five years imprisonment for fraud.
In a judgment delivered on Thursday, November 28, 2024, Aisha Kumaliya, the presiding judge, convicted and sentenced Wakil and two others to five years imprisonment each.
Wakil, who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), was arraigned alongside Tahiru Daura, the organisation’s programme manager and Lawal Shoyode, country director, on Monday, September 1, 2020, on four- count amended charges bordering on cheating, conspiracy and giving false information to the tune of N6 million.
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” to the charges preferred against them by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
During the trial, the prosecution presented three witnesses and tendered several documents as exhibits before the court to prove the case against the trio.
Kumaliya convicted and sentenced the defendants to five years imprisonment each without an option of fine.
The Judge further ordered the defendants to jointly and severally restitute the balance of N3.5 million to the petitioner or in default, serve an additional five-year jail term each.
The EFCC said the defendants were apprehended for obtaining a 2012 Toyota Camry valued at N6 million from a petitioner under the pretense of buying it but failed to either pay for the vehicle or return it.
In June 2022, a high court in Borno state sentenced Mama Boko Haram to five years imprisonment over her involvement in N71.4 million fraud.
Also, in August 2022, the high court sentenced her to seven years imprisonment for N66 million fraud, while in September of the same year, she was sentenced to seven years imprisonment over another N15 million fraud.
In December 2022, the court jailed the Wakil for 10 years in a N120.5 million fraud case.
Wakil was also sentenced to 10 years imprisonment alongside Daura and Lawal, for conspiracy, cheating, and obtaining N40 million by false pretence in February 2024.