Mama Boko Haram jailed five years for N6m fraud

Aisha Alkali Wakil, known widely as “Mama Boko Haram,” and two other officials from the Complete Care and Aid Foundation have been sentenced to five years in prison.

The verdict was delivered on November 28, 2024, by Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri.

Wakil, along with Programme Manager Tahiru Saidu Daura and Country Director Prince Lawal Shoyode, faced four amended charges, including conspiracy, cheating, and providing false information, linked to a sum of six million naira.

The charges stemmed from allegations that the defendants, between October and November 2018, deceived a businessman, Alhaji Bukar Kachalla of Abks Ventures Limited, into handing over a Toyota Camry worth N6 million under the pretext of facilitating a contract.

Despite pleading not guilty to the charges filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the prosecution, led by Mukhtar Ali Ahmed and Shamsudeeb Olayinka Saka, presented three witnesses and several documents as evidence.

Following the trial, Justice Kumaliya ruled in favour of the prosecution, sentencing each defendant to five years imprisonment without the option of a fine.

Additionally, the court ordered the three to collectively pay a restitution of N3.5 million to the complainant.

Failure to do so would result in an additional five-year prison term for each defendant, according to EFCC spokesperson Dele Oyewale.