Nigeria’s Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has revealed the identity of 123 companies sponsoring activities of Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province (ISWAP).
He disclosed this on Thursday, February 3, in a statement issued in Abuja, noting that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) also uncovered 424 associates and supporters of the financiers and about 33 bureaux de change linked with terrorism.
According to the Minister, 45 of the suspects will soon face trial.
He said: “For its part, the analysis by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), in 2020-2021, revealed 96 financiers of terrorism in Nigeria, 424 associates/supporters of the financiers, involvement of about 123 companies and 33 bureaux de change, in addition to identifying 26 suspected bandits/kidnappers and seven co-conspirators.
“The analysis has resulted in the arrest of 45 suspects who will soon face prosecution and seizure of assets.”
Further, Mohammed stated that the Federal Government uses the Money Laundering Act 2004, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, Act 2004, the Department of State Services, DSS, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, in fighting the financing of terrorism in Nigeria.
He also pointed out that the harmonization of the Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) with National Identification Numbers (NIN) is a way of fighting the financing of terrorism in Nigeria.
“To check terrorism financing in Nigeria, the Federal Government has deployed a plethora of tools, including the Money Laundering Act, 2004, the EFCC Act, 2004, the ICPC Act, 2000, Department of State Services (DSS) and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to deal with the issue of corruption, money laundering and terror financing.
“The ongoing harmonization of Bank Verification Numbers (BVN) with National Identification Numbers (NIN) is also a means of tracking the flow of funds within Nigeria and, by extension, tackling terror financing,” Mohammed said.
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