The families of six Nigerians jailed in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for allegedly funding Boko Haram have kicked against the punishment, saying their children were set up.
A Federal Court of Appeal in Abu Dhabi had in April 2019 jailed Surajo Muhammad and Saleh Adamu for life.
It also sentenced Ibrahim Alhassan, AbdurRahman Musa, Bashir Yusuf and Muhammad Isa to 10 years in prison each to be followed by deportation.
The conviction of the six suspects was upheld by the appellate court in the UAE after they lost an appeal earlier filed at a lower court.
The court found them guilty of setting up a Boko Haram cell in the UAE to raise funds and material assistance for the insurgents in Nigeria.
They were said to have transferred up to $800,000 in favour of Boko Haram between 2015 and 2016.
However, the families told Daily Trust that the convicted persons have been into bureau de change business legitimately.
“I think Alhaji Sa’idu (one of the Boko Haram couriers) is just Nom de guerre who used the gullibility of the victims to achieve his aim. They were into bureau de change business, receiving and sending monies on behalf of others.
“From what I understand, they have been doing the business for long and along the line, they fell into a trap. I am not siding with them or trying to indict them but generally, there is ignorance on their side,” the newspaper quoted a source.
It also reported the attorney-general Abubakar Malami as saying: “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.”
