From Sola Ojo, Abuja
Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court sitting in Maiduguri on Wednesday, June 25, 2025, convicted and sentenced the trio of Aisha Alkali Wakil (a.k.a. Mama Boko Haram), Tahiru Saidu Daura, and Prince Lawal Shoyode to a 14-year jail term each.
The Head of Media and Publicity, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Dele Oyewale, in a statement, said the defendants were arraigned on September 14, 2020, by the Maiduguri Zonal Directorate of the commission, on a two-count charge bordering on conspiracy and obtaining by false pretence to the tune of N11 million.
According to him, count two of the charge reads: “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Saidu Daura, Prince Lawal Shoyode whilst being Chief Executive Officer, Programme Manager and Country Director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (Non-Governmental Organisation) and Saidu Mukhtar (now at large) sometime in July 2018 at Maiduguri within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with intent to defraud obtained the sum of N11,000,000.00 (Eleven Million Naira) only from one Muhammed Ambare of Muhammed Ambare Ventures under the false pretence of executing a purported contract of supply, installation and servicing of two units of X-Ray Machine Model 1800, 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.”
Oyewale added that the defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges when they were read to them, prompting the matter to go into full trial.
“In the course of the trial, prosecution counsel Mukhtar Ali Ahmed and S.O. Saka presented one witness and tendered several documents before the court in proving the case.
“Delivering judgement on Wednesday after several adjournments at the instance of the defendants, Justice Kumaliya convicted and sentenced them on count one and two to seven years imprisonment each. The prison terms are to run concurrently.
“The judge ordered the convicts to jointly and severally restitute the sum of N8m to the petitioner or serve an additional seven-year prison term.
“The convicts’ journey to the correctional facility started as a result of their dubious act of awarding purported contracts for the supply, installation, and servicing of two units of X-Ray Machine Model 1800 to the petitioner and his company.
“They made the petitioner transfer the sum of N11 million into a third party’s account, Saidu Mukhtar (now at large), and the contract was never executed nor the money returned to the petitioner,” Oyewale narrated.
