Again, court jails convicted Mama Boko Haram of fraud

The Borno State High Court in Maiduguri has sentenced Aisha Wakil widely known as Mama Boko Haram to 10 years imprisonment for fraud.

According to a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday, the court jailed Ms Wakil on Wednesday, making it her third conviction and sentencing for fraud this year.

In the latest judgement in the series of fraud cases involving her, the judge, Aisha Kumaliya, convicted her alongside two others on all five counts of conspiracy, cheating and obtaining N120.5 million by false pretence.

Her co-convicts similarly jailed for 10 years are Tahiru Daura and Lawal Shoyade.

Ms Wakil, Mr Daura and Mr Shoyade, the Chief Executive Officer, Programme Manager, and Country Director, respectively, of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, were jailed together in two separate fraud cases in June and September.

The EFCC accused them of defrauding their victims 120.5 million in 2018 in the latest case.

It alleged, for instance, that the convicts in Maiduguri, Borno State, in June 2018, obtained the sum of N45 million from one Mohammed Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited under the false pretence of executing a purported contract.

They allegedly obtained the money under the guise of a contract to supply installation and servicing of 10 pieces of Chison 600A, 2009 version deluxe ultrasound system, which they knew to be false.

The offence violated section 1(1) (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and was Punishable under Section 1 (3) of the same Ac

Another alleged conspirator, Saidu Mukhtar, was said to be at large.

They were also, in another count, accused of cheating by obtaining 3,000 bags of 50kg white beans worth N65 million from Mohammed Mohammed of Nyeuro International Limited in Maiduguri in August 2018 under a purported contract that turned out to be false.

The act was said to have violated section 96 (a) and was punishable under Section 97 of the Borno State Penal Code Laws.

The prosecuting counsel, Mukhtar Ahmed, called seven witnesses, including, Shehu Usman, an investigator with the EFCC, who testified that “Complete and Aid Care Foundation (Non – Governmental Organization) was run as a Ponzi scheme, by robbing Peter to Pay Paul.”

After the prosecution closed its case on 16 March 2020, the defendants filed a no-case submission.

The judge dismissed the no-case submission on 27 September 2021, and the defendants were ordered to open their case.

Delivering judgement on Thursday, the judge, Aisha Kumaliya, held that the prosecution proved its case against the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.

“The court hereby finds you Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyade guilty and convicted you as charged” the judge ruled.

Ms Kumaliya sentenced them on the first count to seven years imprisonment and 10 years on the second count.

On the third count, the judge sentenced the defendants to five years imprisonment.

The sentences are to run concurrently.

The judge ordered the convicts to jointly restitute the sum of N66 million to the nominal complainant or serve an additional seven years of jail term each.

Third convictionThe niqab-wearing Ms Wakil earned the sobriquet of Mama Boko Haram through her unusual access to top members of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorist group.

Her latest conviction for fraud is the third this year.

In September, the same judge sentenced her alongside the same set of co-convicts for N15 million fraud.

Earlier in June, the judge jailed her and her co-convicts for fraud involving N71.4 million.