FG names 9 persons, 6 BDCs financing terrorism in Nigeria
The federal government has identified 15 entities alleged to be involved in terrorist financing. They consist of nine persons and six Bureaux de Change operators and organizations.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, or NFIU, confirmed this in an email to The Punch on Tuesday. The document's title was "Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024" .
According to the documents, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024. At the meeting, particular persons and businesses were proposed for sanctions due to their role in terrorism funding.
Those identified in the affidavit for supporting terrorism include Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher who is now on trial for allegedly assisting terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
Another was "a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam," which is linked to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
"(He) specializes in inventing terrorist clandestine communication codes and is an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) specialist.
“The subject was also a gatekeeper 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. The subject fled Kuje Correctional Centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”
Another named among those financing terrorism was “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”
He “came into the 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. These include the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”
Another, a female, works as a financial courier for ISWAP Okene and is in charge of disbursing payments to terrorist combatants' widows/wives.
Another person accused of supporting terrorism paid N60 million to terrorist prisoners in 2015. He collected N189 million between 2016 and 2018. He is said to "own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria."
Another "got a total of N57 million from 2014 to 2017. Another was said to have "had a total inflow of N61.4 billion and a total outflow of N51.7 billion from his accounts."
Recommendations for terrorism financing suspects
According to the document, The Punch reported, per 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. ”
It said the “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.”
Full list
Below are the persons and BDCs indicted by NFIU:
1. Tukur Mamu
2. Yusuf Ghazali
3. Muhammad Sani
4. Abubakar Muhammad
5. Sallamudeen Hassan
6. Adamu Ishak
7. Hassana-Oyiza Isah
8. Abdulkareem Musa,
9. Umar Abdullahi
The six BDCs and firms are
10. West and East Africa General Trading Company Limited
11. Settings Bureau De Change Limited
12. G. Side General Enterprises
13. Desert Exchange Ventures Limited
14. Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited
15. Alfa Exchange BDC.