Mama Boko Haram Jailed For Seven Years Over N66m Fraud

Aisha Wakil, better known as ‘Mama Boko Haram’, has been sentenced to seven years imprisonment for N66 million fraud.

Naija News reports that Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court gave the judgement, EFCC spokesman, Wilson Uwujaren, said this in a statement on Friday.

Recall that the Maiduguri zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had arraigned Wakil, alongside Tahiru Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyede, on a three-count charge of conspiracy and stealing in 2019.

The defendants were alleged to have, on September 7, 2018, 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.

According to the EFCC, AMTMAT Global Ventures processed and funded the trip of the trio to Morocco to the tune of N15 million, “a cost they refused to defray”.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty to all the charges upon arraignment.

The EFCC had, through its counsel, Mukhtar Ahmed, presented five witnesses and tendered several exhibits before closing its case on September 1, 2020.

Delivering judgment on Friday, Justice Kumaliya said the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.

The judge pronounced all the defendants guilty as charged and ruled that the sentence is to start running at the expiration of any sentence that the court had awarded the convicted persons before the judgment.

The EFCC said: “The judge sentenced Wakil, Daura and Shoyede to seven years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy without the option of fine, and seven years on the count of cheating also without the option of fine.

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

“In addition, the court ordered the defendants to pay the sum of N51m to Ali Tijjani or in default, serve fifteen years imprisonment.

“In addition, the first, second and third defendants are to each pay the sum of ₦3,750,000.00 (Three Million Seven Hundred and Fifty Thousand Naira) 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.”