Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri on Tuesday sentenced and convicted to jail Aisha Alkali Wakil, (Mama Boko Haram), Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode to five years imprisonment without option of fine.
The judgment came after two years of trial which commenced on Monday, September 14, 2020, when the defendants were re-arraigned on a two count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretence to the tune of N71,400,000 (Seventy-One Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira only).
Count one of the charge reads: “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (a non-governmental organisation), sometime in the year 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court with intent to defraud, induced one Saleh Ahmed Said of Shuad General Enterprises Ltd to deliver to you 3,000 (Three Thousand) bags of beans worth N71,400,000 (Seventy-One Million, Four Hundred Thousand Naira only) , under the false pretence of executing a contract for the supply of same, which you made the said Saleh Ahmed Said to believe that you had the capacity to pay the entire contract sum upon execution, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offence, contrary to and punishable under Sections 1(1) (b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006.”
The defendants had pleaded ‘not guilty’ to the charges.
But the Head, Media and Publicity of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, said in a statement on Wednesday that in the course of trial, the prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmed, presented four witnesses and tendered several documents which were admitted as exhibits.
“Delivering judgement today, Justice Kumaliya held that the prosecution had proved the case against the defendant and consequently pronounced them guilty as charged. The judge sentenced them to five years imprisonment without an option of fine.
“The Judge further ordered the convicts to pay the sum of N30,500.000.00 ( Thirty Million Five Hundred Thousand Naira) as compensation to their victim. In default, they shall serve an additional ten years prison term.” The statement reads.
Recall that the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, had taken the trio before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri for N71,400,000 million.