The Borno State High Court in Maiduguri has sentenced Aisha Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram, to five years imprisonment for fraud.
Ms. Wakil was sentenced alongside two officials of her non-governmental organisation (NGO), Complete Care and Aid Foundation—Tahiru Daura, the Programme Manager, and Prince Shoyode, the Country Director.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which prosecuted the case, disclosed that the trial judge, Aisha Kumaliya, delivered the verdict on 28 November. The defendants were accused of defrauding Bukar Kachalla, the owner of Abks Ventures, by dishonestly inducing him to part with a Toyota Camry 2012 model worth ₦6 million, which they neither paid for nor returned.
Ms. Wakil and her co-defendants, who were first arraigned on 1 September 2020 on four amended charges of conspiracy, cheating, and providing false information, pleaded not guilty. During the trial, the EFCC presented three witnesses and submitted various documents as evidence.
In her judgement, Justice Kumaliya convicted all three defendants and sentenced them to five years imprisonment each, with no option of a fine.
The court also ordered the defendants to jointly refund a balance of ₦3.5 million to the petitioner. Failure to comply would result in an additional five-year jail term for each of them.
