POS operator sentenced to 20 years in prison after earning N20,000 from a transaction for a Boko Haram member

A businessman from Maiduguri, Umar Bashir, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison for financing terrorism, with no option to pay a fine.

Bashir, who described himself as a major dealer in oil perfumes and a point‑of‑sale (POS) operator, was found guilty of using his United Bank of Africa account number 2213629628 to transfer money for members of the Boko Haram insurgency.

He admitted that he accepted a cash payment of N5 million from a Boko Haram member, Ibrahim Modu, and subsequently transferred the same amount to the terrorist’s Access Bank account, number 1834250967.

The offender stated that the offence occurred in Maiduguri in 2025 and that he received a commission of N20 000 from the transaction.

During his arraignment by the Federal Government on Monday, Bashir pleaded guilty to the charges.

After reviewing his admission and confessional statement, Justice Binta Fatimah Nyako found him guilty and imposed a 20‑year prison term without the possibility of a fine.

The judge ordered that the sentence commence from 2025, the year of his arrest and detention.

Justice Nyako rejected the defendant’s request for leniency, emphasizing that the law must be upheld.