Somtochukwu

Seated outside the dock in a Maiduguri courtroom, her entire body veiled from head-to-toe with her typical adornment of niqab that leaves only a tiny opening for her pair of eyes glasses, Aisha Wakil, aka Mama Boko Haram (mother to Boko Haram), listened calmly as the judge read out the ruling on a request by her lawyer who had earlier prayed the court to grant her bail. 

Mama Boko Haram was in the court to defend allegations of a multimillion-naira fraud filed against her by Nigeria’s anti-graft body, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was Monday, December 5, 2019. She, alongside two other suspects, Tahir Daura and Prince Lawal Shoyade, was arranged before Justice Aisha Kumalia of the Borno State High Court, Maiduguri. They were standing trial in a N66 million fraud allegation case.

The two other defendants worked in her NGO, Complete Care and Aid Foundation (CCAF). 

Kumalia granted the bail but with a bail bond of N30 million and provision of two sureties who must be at the level of permanent secretary in the state. HumAngle gathered none of them was able to fulfil the bail conditions.  

The EFCC charged them to court on an amended five-count charge, bordering on “conspiracy, obtaining money by false pretence and cheating, to the tune of N111.6 million”. 

While they pleaded not guilty to the charges, Benjamin Manji, the EFCC lawyer, applied for a trial date and asked the court to remand the defendants in prison pending the case’s determination.

The Judge granted this request and adjourned the case until February 10, 2020, for the commencement of trial.

That was the beginning of what now appears like an unending stay of the woman many revered for her closeness to the Boko Haram fighters. 

The EFCC had continued to bring in fresh charges against her and her colleagues at CCAF – all bordering on alleged advance fee fraud. The EFCC had three different cases, one at a Federal High Court and two at the Borno State High Court.

There have been several allegations of unwholesome practices against those who ought to be providing lifesaving services for persons affected by the decades-old insurgency in the northeast. 

Wakil has earned international fame for her claims to help the Nigerian Government end the insurgency by leveraging on her contacts with some members of the Boko Haram terrorist group whom she generally referred to as her “children” whenever she urged them to embrace peace. 

Until her current ordeal, she bestrode the conflict arena as a major factor in the government’s efforts to halt violent extremism. 

Her health status adds to her predicament during the trial- she is often lifted in and out of courtroom due to difficulty to walk by herself. 

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