A businessman based in Maiduguri, Umar Bashir, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for financing terrorism after a court found him guilty of helping facilitate financial transactions linked to Boko Haram activities.
Bashir, who told the court that he trades in oil perfumes and also operates a Point of Sale (POS) business, admitted to using his United Bank for Africa (UBA) account to receive and transfer money on behalf of members of the terrorist group.
According to court proceedings, he accepted N5 million in cash from a Boko Haram member identified as Ibrahim Modu. The money was later transferred through his account into an Access Bank account reportedly belonging to the same terrorist operative.
The businessman confessed that the transaction took place in Maiduguri in 2025 and revealed that he earned N20,000 as commission for facilitating the deal.
When he appeared before the court on Monday following charges filed by the Federal Government, Bashir pleaded guilty to the offence.
After reviewing his guilty plea and the evidence presented, Justice Binta Fatimah Nyako convicted him and handed down a 20-year jail sentence without the option of a fine.
The judge also ruled that the prison term should take effect from 2025, the year Bashir was arrested and remanded in custody.
His appeal for a lighter punishment was rejected, with the court insisting that the law must be fully enforced in cases involving terrorism financing.