Two sisters bag 10-year jail sentence for diverting medical funds donated by Nigerians

Two sisters identified as Maryam Muhammad Jallo and Rukaiya Muhammad Jallo were on November 24, handed a 10 year jail sentence for diverting medical funds donated by Nigerians. 

 The blood sisters were prosecuted on an amended one count charge by the Kaduna Zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). They were placed on trial after one Alhaji Badamasi Shanono alleged in a petition that in 2019, JAMAL HEALTH FOUNDATION owned by the convicts used its social media platform in soliciting for donations and contributions from donors for the medical expenses of one Usman Umar who had been bedridden for over two years haven suffered partial paralyses. 

 Shanono said he donated one million to the foundation, while seven hundred thousand was chipped in by a woman. He alledged that Jamal Foundation refused to hand over the funds to the patient but converted it to personal use. 

 The charge read; 

 “That you Maryam Jallo and Rukaiya Jallo on the 30th day of March, 2019 in Kaduna within the judicial division of this Honourable Court, while being entrusted with the sum of One Million Seven Hundred Thousand Naira ( N1,700,000) only by one Alhaji Badamasi Shanono and Adio Bukar Hashia for medical treatment of one Usman Umar dishonestly misappropriated same and you thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 293 of the Kaduna State Penal Code Law, 2017 and punishable under Section 294 of the Same Law”. 

 Justice Muhammad Tukur of Kaduna State High Court presided over the case in which the sisters pleaded guilty to the offence which bordered on criminal breach of trust. Justice Tukur convicted and sentenced them to ten years imprisonment with an option of N100,000 fine (One Hundred Thousand Naira).