Aisha Alkali Wakil, also known as Mama Boko Haram, along with two others, Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Soyade, have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for committing fraud worth N40 million.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, stated that Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri found Wakil, Daura, and Soyade guilty after they were charged by the commission with two counts of conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretenses amounting to N40 million.
According to Oyewale, Wakil, Daura, and Soyade were the CEO, Programme Manager, and Country Director of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, an NGO. Along with Saidu Mukhtar, who is currently at large, they deceived Bashir Abubakar, CEO of Duty-Free Shop Ltd, into giving them N40 million for a contract to supply five x-ray machines powered by solar energy, which they never fulfilled.
The EFCC spokesman explained that their actions violated Section 1(b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006, and are punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.
Although the defendants pleaded not guilty, the prosecution, represented by A.I. Arogha, presented four witnesses and 17 exhibits to the court.
Justice Fadawu convicted them and sentenced them to 10 years in prison for conspiracy and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Additionally, the court ordered them to collectively pay N40 million in restitution to Bashir Muhammad.
The judge ruled that their prison terms should run concurrently.
Oyewale included in the statement that the fraud was discovered when someone who complained said they were tricked in a business agreement about buying x-ray machines.
The people accused did not give the machines as promised, and they also did not give back the money to the person who complained.
