In a significant development, the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has unveiled a list of 15 entities, comprising nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly implicated in terrorism financing. The details of this revelation were disclosed by the NFIU on Tuesday night, shedding light on a critical aspect of the ongoing efforts to counter terrorism within the country.
The disclosure came through a document titled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024,” which revealed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024. During this session, specific individuals and entities were identified and recommended for sanction due to their purported involvement in terrorism financing.
“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” the document stated unequivocally.
Among the individuals mentioned in the document is Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher currently facing trial by the Federal Government for alleged involvement in aiding the terrorists responsible for the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March 2022. The document accuses Mamu of actively participating in terrorism financing by purportedly receiving and delivering ransom payments exceeding $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages from the aforementioned attack.
Furthermore, the document identifies another individual as the suspected attacker of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, and the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja on July 5, 2022.
Additionally, an individual affiliated with the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, was also listed. The NFIU described this individual as specializing in designing terrorist clandestine communication codes and being an Improvised Explosive Device expert.
Furthermore, the document highlights financial transactions involving several individuals, including transfers to terrorism convicts and inflows/outflows from their accounts. These revelations underscore the gravity of the situation and the government’s determination to combat terrorism financing and disrupt networks supporting terrorist activities within Nigeria.
