A Federal Court of Appeal sitting in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has convicted six Nigerians over alleged funding of Boko Haram, a terrorist group operating mostly in Nigeria for about 10 years now.
Their conviction was upheld by the appellate court after they lost an earlier appeal at a lower court.
Nigerian newspaper, Daily Trust reported on Monday that Surajo Abubakar Muhammad and Saleh Yusuf Adamu were sentenced to life imprisonment.
All the others, 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.
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.
Most of the transactions were facilitated by two undercover Boko Haram agents based in Nigeria. One of them is Alhaji Sa’idu while the other, Alhaji Ashiru was described as ‘a Nigerian government official.’
Ashiru also reportedly funneled misappropriated public funds to the terrorists.