The Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has officially confirmed the designation of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change (BDC) companies, for sanction over alleged involvement in terrorism financing.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Thursday, the spokesperson for the NFIU, Sani Tukur, corroborated the list of terrorism financiers initially reported by The Punch.
Tukur disclosed that the designations received approval from President Bola Tinubu and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
Highlighting the process behind the designations, Tukur explained that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and companies were recommended for sanction based on their suspected involvement in terrorism financing activities.
He clarified, “I just want to provide an update and context to the issue of designation of terrorism financiers. It wasn’t actually a statement from the NFIU but a release by the Nigerian Sanctions Committee. However, the NFIU is the secretariat of the committee, hence the email that was used by the committee to send to its subscribers.”
Tukur further elaborated on the procedure, emphasizing that once individuals and entities are identified as financiers, the list is forwarded to the President for approval through the Attorney General of the Federation.
He added, “Before persons and entities are so designated, a meeting of the National Sanctions Committee is held at the Attorney General’s office and decisions are taken there.”
Regarding the dissemination of the information, Tukur clarified that the NFIU’s email system was utilized to notify subscribers of the designation. However, due to subscription status, only one journalist, Sanusi from The Punch, received the notification immediately after its publication.
Tukur concluded by stating that the recent designation information was distributed to over 9,000 recipients, with Sanusi being the sole journalist to receive it promptly owing to his subscription status.
