The Federal Government through Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit ,NFIU, is poise to freeze the assets and funds of nine persons, six Bureau De Change operators and firms it says are financing terrorism activities in the country
Worried about the heightened terrorists activities, the federal government has asked Institutions and individuals who have access to the funds and assets of persons it’s listed as terrorists on Tuesday to freeze them.
The directive was in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022
which among other stated that
“immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee” the agency said.
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit released the document entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”containing the names late Tuesday night.
The document show that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, and recommended the specific individuals and entities for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.
According to the document “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.”
Among the individuals named in the document was a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently facing trial at the Federal High Court Abuja for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
Mamu was said to have “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”
The document described one of the individuals as “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022 and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”
Another individual in list was “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Biladissudam, the group associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
“The subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali, ” the document stated
He “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.
“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”
Another financier was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”
NFIU said, the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.
“The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”
Another , the NFIU disclosed is “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”
He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”
The same person “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
While another individual was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”
Another financier was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”
The document stated that, in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are required to:
“(a) immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee;
“(b) report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.
“(c) immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such an individual or entity; and
“(d) report as a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU, all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this List. ”
And that the freezing obligation required above shall extend to
“(a) all funds or other assets that are owned or controlled by the designated persons and entities, and not only those that are tied to a particular act, plot, or threat of terrorism or terrorism financing;
“(b) those funds or other assets that are wholly or jointly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by designated persons or entities;
“(c) the funds or other assets derived or generated from funds or other assets owned or controlled directly or indirectly by designated persons or entities; and
“(d) funds or other assets of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of designated persons or entities.”