February 03, (THEWILL) – The Federal Government on Thursday said it has uncovered 96 financiers of terrorism, including 424 associates and supporters of terrorist activities in Nigeria.
The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohamed, who disclosed the development at a news conference in Abuja on Thursday, said the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) also unmasked 123 companies and 33 bureaux de change operators linked with terrorism in the country; in addition to 26 suspected bandits/kidnappers and 7 co-conspirators who have now been identified.
He said the feat was achieved between 2020 and 2021, signifying the seriousness of the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption.
Mohammed said the analysis has resulted in the arrest of 45 suspects who will soon face prosecution and seizure of assets adding that the NFIU had intelligence exchanges on Boko Haram, ISWAP, banditry, kidnapping, and others.
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 7 co-conspirators.
‘’The analysis has resulted in the arrest of 45 suspects who will soon face prosecution and seizure of assets. Also, from its analysis of tax evasion and tax avoidance linked to corruption, NFIU has identified N3,909,707,678,112.43 in VAT and N3,737,918,335,785.82 in Withholding.
“Tax due to the Government. NFIU has also sent 1,165 intelligence reports on cases of corruption, money laundering and other serious offences to 27 domestic agencies for investigation, prosecution and asset recovery.
“On terrorism financing, NFIU had intelligence exchanges on Boko Haram, ISWAP, banditry, kidnapping and others with 19 countries. During the same period, 2020-2021, the organization returned fraudulently-obtained funds totalling US$103,722,102.83, 3,000 Pound Sterling; 7,695 Singapore Dollar and 1,091 Euros to 11 countries of victims who came into the country.’’
Mohammed also praised the effort of the Buhari administration in identifying and plugging loopholes of financial haemorrhage.
He gave the administration a pass mark for the high recovery of slush funds and convictions of looters of public funds by its anti-graft agencies in recent years.
