13th February, 2024
By Ayorinde Oluokun/Abuja
A Borno woman, Aisha Alkali Wakil ( a.k.a Mama Boko Haram) Tahiru Saidu Daura, and one Prince Lawal Soyade have been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment after they were found guilty of two-count charges bordering on conspiracy and obtaining the sum of N40 million by false pretense.
Mama Boko Haram and the two others were arraigned by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, on Thursday, March 5, 2020, for allegedly swindling an NGO of N40 million through a purported contract for the supply of five X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy.
The contract was to supply the machines worth N40 million to Complete Care and Aid Foundation. However, according to the EFCC, they neither supplied the machines nor returned the contract sum to the petitioner.
The defendants pleaded “not guilty” when the charges were read to them.
Counsel for the prosecution counsel, A.I Arogha presented four witnesses and tendered seventeen exhibits before the court.
Consequently, Justice Fadawu convicted and sentenced them to ten years imprisonment for the offence of conspiracy.
The court further sentenced the defendants to ten years imprisonment for the offence of obtaining by false pretence and ordered them to jointly and severally pay the sum of N40m to Bashir Muhammad.
“The prison term shall run concurrently on the expiration of all prison terms imposed on the convicts by any court”, the Judge said.
Count two of the charge reads: “That you Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyade whilst being the Chief Executive Officer, Programme Manager and Country Director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, (a Non-Governmental Organisation) and Saidu Mukhtar (At large) sometime in Maiduguri, Borno State within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court did with intent to defraud obtained the sum of Forty Million Naira (N40, 000, 000.00) from one Bashir Abubakar, the Chief Executive Officer of Duty Free Shop Ltd under the false pretence of executing a purported contract for the supply of Five (5) X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy which you knew to be false and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section (1) 1 (b) of the Advance Fee Fraud and other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and punishable under Section 1(3) of the same Act.”