According to the Federal Government, it has identified 15 organizations and persons who it believes are involved in financing terrorism, including six businesses and nine individuals that operate bureaus de change.
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit provided information on the development in an email headed “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024” that was given to our correspondent on Tuesday night.
According to the document, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, and during that meeting, it was proposed that certain people and organizations be sanctioned for their role in financing terrorism.
Part of the paper stated, “The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation has thereupon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List, with the approval of the President.”
One of the people included in the document was Tukur Mamu, a publisher from Kaduna. He is presently on trial by the Federal Government for his alleged involvement in the terrorist attack on the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
In order to free the captives from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack, Mamu allegedly “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransom payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists.”
“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,” according to the document, is one of the individuals.
“A member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, the group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb,” was the description given to another.
“Muktar Belmokhtar, also known as One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali, where the subject received training and served.”
The person “specializes in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is an expert in improvised explosive devices,” according to the NFIU.
The subject was also Mohammed Usman, also known as Khalid Al-Bamawi, the commander of ANSARU, and his gatekeeper. across addition, he served as AQIM Katibat’s travel advisor and courier across the Algerian and Malidian deserts. His hobby is carpentry. On July 5, 2022, the subject left the Kuje Correctional Center. At the moment, he is free.
“A senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene” was the designation given to another.
According to the agency, the person “came into limelight in 2012 as Boko Haram’s North Central wing.”
“The group is suspected of carrying out attacks in the South West Geographical Zone and the Federal Capital Territory, including the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022.”
“A financial courier to ISWAP Okene” was the description given to another. She is in charge of giving money to the wives and widows of the terrorist combatants in the group.
Another of the people “transferred N60m to terrorism convicts in 2015,” the paper claims.
It was also reported that from 2016 to 2018, he “received a sum of N189m.”
According to the UAE court ruling, the same individual “owns entities and business reported as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
It was stated that one additional person “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”
Another was reported to have “had a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts and a total inflow of N61.4bn.”
The paper further disclosed that organizations and people must comply with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
(a) as soon as possible, locate and seize all money, property, and other financial resources that you may have that belong to the named individuals or organizations, without giving previous notice, and report the information to the Sanctions Committee;
(b) provide a report to the Sanctions Committee detailing any assets blocked or measures followed to adhere to the prohibition’s guidelines.
(c) submit a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU right away in order to obtain additional information about the financial operations of that person or organization; and
(d) submit to the NFIU, as a Suspicious Transactions submit, any instances in which names appear to match in financial transactions that occurred either before or after this List was received.
“The freezing obligation required above shall extend to,” it stated.
(a) all money or other assets under the ownership or control of the specified individuals or organizations, not just those connected to a specific terrorist act, scheme, or threat of terrorism or financing thereof;
(b) any money or other assets that are owned, jointly, or under the direct or indirect control of specific individuals or organizations;
(c) the money or other assets that are produced from money or other assets that are either directly or indirectly owned or controlled by specified individuals or organizations; and
“(d) funds or other assets of individuals or organizations operating on their behalf or under the guidance of identified individuals or organizations.”
