Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Aiding Boko Haram Exchange

On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced Awal Bello to 10 years in prison for aiding Boko Haram in the exchange of N750,000 in currency notes. The judgment was delivered by Justice Binta Nyako, who found Bello guilty of two counts under the Terrorism Prevention Act of 2013.

The case arose during the currency redesign crisis implemented by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) in late 2022 and early 2023, which required citizens to swap old N200, N500, and N1,000 notes for newly designed versions. Bello was arrested for assisting Boko Haram members in this currency exchange, which was deemed a violation of the law.

He pleaded guilty to the charges, which included providing support to a terrorist organization and facilitating the exchange of currency notes. The sentence will run concurrently for both counts, and Bello was also ordered to pay a tax of N20,000 to Boko Haram.