In a landmark judgment, Justice Umaru Fadawu of the Borno State High Court, sitting in Maiduguri, has convicted and sentenced Aisha Alkali Wakil (known as Mama Boko Haram), Tahiru Saidu Daura, and Prince Lawal Soyade to ten years imprisonment. The trio was found guilty of conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense, involving a sum of N40,000,000.00 (Forty Million Naira).
The conviction follows their arraignment by the Maiduguri Zonal Command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on March 5, 2020, on charges bordering on fraud. They pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution, led by counsel A.I Arogha, presented four witnesses and seventeen exhibits before the court, establishing the guilt of the defendants beyond a reasonable doubt.
Justice Fadawu sentenced the defendants to ten years imprisonment each for both conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense charges. Additionally, they were ordered to jointly and severally pay the sum of N40 million to the victim, Bashir Muhammad.
The Judge clarified that the prison terms would run concurrently after the expiration of any other prison terms imposed by other courts.
The case originated from a complaint alleging that the convicts defrauded the petitioner by promising to supply X-ray Machines 1900 with Solar Energy to the Complete Care and Aid Foundation, an NGO, for N40 million. However, they failed to fulfill the contract or return the money to the petitioner.
Source: Twitter / OfficialEFCC
