EFCC re-arraigns ‘Mama’ Boko Haram, others for alleged N6m fraud

Chukwudi Akasike

The Maiduguri Zonal Office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission said it had re-arraigned the Chief Executive Officer of Complete Care and Aid Foundation, Aisha Alkali Wakil, popularly known as Mama Boko Haram.

Mama Boko Haram was said to have been re-arraigned on Tuesday before Justice Aisha Kumaliya of the Borno State High Court in Maiduguri, on amended four counts bordering on conspiracy, giving false information, and cheating to the tune of N6 million.

At the sitting, prosecution counsel, Mukhtar Ali Ahmad, informed the court of a pending amended charge and urged the court to strike out the earlier charges filed on March 3 and 10, 2020, and substitute it with that of March 18, 2020.

A statement on Wednesday by the Head, Media, and Publicity of the EFCC, Mr. Dele Oyewale, indicated that Justice Kumaliya substituted the charges and ordered them to be read to the defendants.

One of the charges read, “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Alhaji Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director respectively, of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (NGO), sometime between October and November, 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno State, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, dishonestly induced one Alhaji Bukar Kachalla of Abks Ventures Limited to deliver to you a Toyota Camry 2012 Model worth N6m only under the guise of executing a contract for the purchase of the said car and thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 320 (a) and punishable under Section 332 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”

They pleaded not guilty, following which counsel for the second and third defendants, H. Waziri, prayed the court for an adjournment to enable him to study the new charges with a view to applying for a plea bargain agreement with the EFCC.

Consequently, Justice Kumaliya adjourned the matter till September 16, 2020 for commencement of trial

Mama Boko Haram was originally arraigned, alongside the Programme Manager of her Foundation, Tahiru Daura and the Country Director, Lawal Shoyode on December 4, 2019. Their trial followed their no-guilty plea to the charges.