UAE Supreme Court Convicts 6 Nigerians for Wiring $782,000 to Boko Haram
AREWA AGENDA – An Abu Dhabi State Security Court of the Federal Supreme Court on Monday turned down an appeal by six Nigerians convicted of alleged terrorist crimes and financing terrorist organisations outside the UAE.
The court upheld ruling issued by Abu Dhabi Federal Appeal Court, punishing two of them with life imprisonment and four others with a ten-year sentence.
The court also ordered the convicts be deported from the country after serving their terms, and the confiscation of all communications devices, including computers and mobile phones.
The court ruled that SAM, 40, and SYA, 29, both of whom are of the Nigerian nationality, will be imprisoned for life, and they bear all the legal expenses.
Surajo Abubakar Ibrahim and Saleh Yusuf Adamu were sentenced to life imprisonment.
The rest, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, AbdurRahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf and Muhammad Ibrahim Isa, got ten-year imprisonment each.
Court documents show that between 2015 and 2016, the convicts were allegedly involved in cash transfers totalling $782,000.00 to Boko Haram.
Daily Trust reports that the act was contrary to Article 29, Clause 3 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017.
National Security Bureau said investigation of the Nigerians “confirmed their involvement and membership of the Boko Haram”.
They were arrested between April 16 and 17, 2017, and their homes searched according to the search warrant issued by the National Security Prosecution office dated April 16, 2017.
Abubakar and Adamu were charged for joining Boko Haram knowingly.
This negates Article 22/2 of UAE’s Federal Anti-Terrorism Law No 7 of 2017 punishable by death or life imprisonment.
Alhassan, Musa, Yusuf and Isa were charged with assisting the sect knowingly.
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The crime, under Article 31, Clause 1 of the same law, is punishable by life imprisonment or at least five years in jail.
Most of the transactions were facilitated by two undercover Boko Haram agents based in Nigeria. One of them is “Alhaji Sa’idu”.
The other “Alhaji Ashiru” was described as “a Nigerian government official”.
He also reportedly funnelled misappropriated public funds to terrorists.
Sa’idu’s modus operandi is using unidentified Arab persons on a visit to Dubai from Turkey to hand over US Dollars to one of the convicts, who then remit Naira equivalent to the agent.
Families of the convicts say they were “framed up”, insisting their bureau de change business in the UAE was legitimate
The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami while contacted he said, the Nigerian government was aware of the matter and had written the UAE seeking records of proceedings but was yet to get feedback.
Commenting on claims by families of some of the convicts that different government agencies including the ministry of justice failed to come to their aid, Malami said it was not true that the Nigerian government did not do anything on the matter.
“Nigerian government has written firstly for copies of the proceedings, which will give us the opportunity to see whether justice was done or not. And on whether they have committed the crime, we requested to know who and who are involved so that the Nigerian government will know what to do next.
“Nigerian government is working but it doesn’t have the exclusive control, it has to rely on the information provided by UAE. So, it is not in control of the speed of response or action.
“We are working on both the issues that they did not receive a fair hearing and that they were alleged to have supported Boko Haram activities,” he said.
Arewa Agenda is a Publication of Young writers/journalist from Northern Nigeria towards Peaceful Coexistence and National Development through positive narratives
