Aisha Wakil (fondly called ‘Mama Boko Haram), the owner of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (CCAF), a Maiduguri-based not-for-profit organistaion, alongside two others were served a five-year jail term, yesterday, by a Borno State high court over N71.4 million beans fraud. But that was not her first encounter with the court, especially with Aisha Kumaliya, the presiding judge.
Tahiru Saidu Daura, a programme manager at CCAF, Prince Lawal Shoyede, CCAF’s country director and Wakil were not alien to periodic arraignment by the Maiduguri zonal command of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) . They had been arraigned and re-arraigned countless times.
A N66 million maize grain scandal opened the windows into shady businesses the trio run with their foundation.
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In 2018, Ali Tijjani, the managing director of AMTMAT Global Ventures, petitioned EFCC, revealing how he was swindled by the CCAF’s founder and its programme manager.
According to Punch, his company was awarded a contract to supply processed maize grain otherwise called BISKI worth N51m. Tijjani was said to have collected the products from Maiduguri Flour Mills and they were duly received by CCAF’s programme manager.
In addition to this, Tijjani said his company was coerced to process and fund CAFF’s trip to Morocco. The trip was estimated at N15 million, according to Tijjani.
When the foundation reneged on its agreement with Tijjani, he dragged them to Borno high court where the judge, Kumaliya ruled that Wakil and Daura be remanded in prison facility. But counsels for the defendants, H. Waziri and B. Zanna made oral bail applications after their clients pleaded not guilty to the charges.
They were released on N30 million bail with two sureties in the like sum.
Yet Another Fraud — N41.7 Million Household Items
This time around Shoyede, the country director for CCAF joined the scandal with his co-managers (Wakil and Daura).
Yet to deliver justice on the erstwhile N66 million fraud, Kumaliya (the judge), again listened to Wakil, Shoyede and Daura from the witness box.
The trio were answering questions on a three-count charge involving criminal conspiracy and obtaining by false pretense, according to Punch.
One Hajia Bilkisu Mohammed Abubakar was their victim in the trial. They had induced her to execute a supply contract worth N41.7 million for CCAF. She would not be paid after supplying the products.
WikkiTimes’ findings showed that the products supplied include house furniture, electronics and food items.
Again, they pleaded not guilty and as usual, the case was adjourned.
The N6 Million Toyota Camry Scandal And Many More
2018 was a scandalous year for Wakil and her accomplices. Between October and November 2018, the CCAF bigwigs “dishonestly induced one Alhaji Bukar Kachalla of Abks Ventures Limited to deliver to you a Toyota Camry 2012 Model worth N6,000,000.00 (Six Million Naira) under the guise of executing a contract for the purchase of the said car ,” Kumaliya’s court read another CCAF’s fraud casefile.
The trio standing the criminal trial in 2020, Kumaliya declared that their offense was contrary to “Section 320(a) and punishable under Section 332 of the Penal Code Cap 102 Laws of Borno State.”
As expected, they pleaded not guilty and what next? Adjournment. That was not the first time the particular case would be shifted. WikkiTimes learnt that the trial had begun in December 2019.
Also in 2018, Wakil and her guys raked in N11 million from from one Muhammed Ambare of Mohammed Ambare Ventures “under the false pretense of executing a purported contract of supply, installation and servicing of two units of x-ray machine Model 1800,” a casefile obtained by WikkiTimes reads in part.
The offense, according to Kumaliya while ruling over he cse in 2020, was “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.” The case was also adjourned.
Similarly in 2018, the serial offenders alongside one Saidu Mukhtar, also milked Bukar Kachalla Hammiza of Global Resources Limited to the tune of N15 million.
Hammiza became their victim after supplying “three units of chemistry analyzer solar energy brand Model 1800 (UK Version),” according to Kumaliya. The case was also punishable, she said, under 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.
Road To The Jail
The beans scam that ended CCAF’s adjournment in Kumaliya’s court started around 2020 with seemingly endless shifts. But it ended yesterday as the trio of Wakil, Daura and Shoyede were sentenced to five years imprisonment.
Among the allegations chronicled by WikkiTimes, Mama Boko Haram and her colleagues were facing 13 different charges before justice Kumaliya, the Punch revealed.
This paper learnt they were re-arraigned by EFCC on a two-count charge of conspiracy and obtaining money by false pretense to the tune of N71,400,000, according to the presiding judge.
The culprits, while at the helm of affairs at CCAF in 2018, allegedly defrauded Saleh Ahmed Said of Shuad General Enterprises Ltd. They had lured the latter to supply them 3,000 bags of beans worth N7.4 million and promised to pay off after executing a project which they had ordered the goods for.
Saleh would later seek justice in court as his customers failed to honour their agreement. Although, the defendants pleaded not guilty to all charges.
However, WikkiTimes understands that the judge was weary of the defendants’ serial appearance in her court. Hence, she gave no room for the usual business.
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Kumaliya said in her ruling: “That you, Aisha Alkali Wakil, Tahiru Saidu Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyode, whilst being chief executive officer, programme manager and country director respectively of Complete Care and Aid Foundation (a non-governmental organisation), sometime in the year 2018 at Maiduguri, Borno state, within the jurisdiction of this honourable court with intent to defraud, induced one Saleh Ahmed Said of Shuad General Enterprises Ltd to deliver to you 3,000 bags of beans worth N71,400,000 under the false pretense of executing a contract for the supply of same, which you made the said Saleh Ahmed Said to believe that you had the capacity to pay the entire contract sum upon execution, which you knew to be false and you thereby committed an offense, contrary to and punishable under Sections 1(1) (b) and 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offenses Act, 2006.”
Prior to that, Mukhtar Ahmed, the prosecution counsel, during the trial presented four witnesses and submitted several documents which were acknowledged as exhibits. This, however, proved the culprits otherwise.
Subsequently, Kumaliya ordered them to pay N3.5 million compensation to the victim. In a situation where they refused to, their jail term could be extended by five years.
