Three individuals, including Aisha Alkali Wakil, known as ‘Mama Boko Haram,’ have been sentenced to ten years in prison by Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court.

The other two convicted individuals are Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Soyade.

The convictions stem from their involvement in a N40 million fraud case, as detailed in the charges presented by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on March 5, 2020. The charges included conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense.

According to the EFCC spokesperson, Dele Oyewale, the trio, who were the Chief Executive Officer, Programme Manager, and Country Director of the Complete Care and Aid Foundation, a Non-Governmental Organisation, fraudulently obtained the sum of N40 million from Bashir Abubakar, the CEO of Duty Free Shop Ltd.

The funds were obtained under the false pretense of executing a contract for the supply of five X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy, which was never fulfilled.

The defendants pleaded not guilty but after the presentation of four witnesses and seventeen exhibits by the prosecution counsel, A.I Arogha, Justice Fadawu convicted and sentenced them to ten years imprisonment for both conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense.

Additionally, the court ordered them to jointly and severally pay the sum of N40 million to the petitioner, Bashir Muhammad.

“The prison term shall run concurrently on the expiration of all prison terms imposed on the convicts by any court,” stated Justice Fadawu.

The case began when a petitioner accused the trio of swindling him through a fake contract, where they promised to supply X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy to their NGO but failed to deliver the machines or return the contracted sum.