Court sentences four Boko Haram sponsors

Yesterday, the Federal Government managed to convict four financiers of Boko Haram.

During a special trial that the Federal High Court held at Dawaki in Abuja, the quartet—Modu Aisami, Zana Zarama, Umar Kame—pleaded guilty to charges that the Federal Government had preferred against them. As a result, they were found guilty and sentenced to prison.

The Director of the Criminal Justice Department at the Legal Aid Council, LAC, F A Bakre, oversaw the defence team, while Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, led the FG legal team.

After reading the charges one at a time, the defendants, who were docked before Justices Binta Nyako and Emeka Nwite, begged for mercy.

The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Mr. M. Abubakar, filed a charge alleging that Aisami, one of the defendants, gave money to the terrorist organisation by purchasing food items from them.

He was charged with having a reasonable knowledge that the transactions' proceeds would be used to carry out terrorist acts. According to FG, he had violated Section 13(1)(a)(ii) of the Terrorism Provision Amendment Act, 2013, by his actions.

Trial judge Judge Nyako found the defendant guilty on counts two and three of the charge after he had conceded guilt to the allegations.

“I find him guilty as charged and he is convicted accordingly. I hereby sentence the convict to 20 years imprisonment for each of the offences. They are to run concurrently,” Justice Nyako held.

Similarly, the trial judge found the second defendant, Zarama, guilty and gave him a 10-year prison sentence for hiding Modu Sulum's identity, a member of Boko Haram.

Judge Nwite sentenced Mohammed and Kame to ten years in prison in his ruling.

Despite the fact that the trial was conducted behind closed doors, the AGF provided news reporters with details of the proceedings yesterday through Mr. Kamarudeen Ogundele, his Special Assistant for Communication and Publicity.

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