The Federal Government has disclosed the identities of 15 suspects, comprising nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, implicated in financing terrorism.
The Nigerian Intelligence Unit issued a statement on Tuesday evening titled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”
The statement disclosed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024, to recommend sanctions against specific individuals and entities following their involvement in terrorism financing.
“With the President’s approval, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation has designated the following individuals and entities to be included on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” part of the document stated.
The list includes a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently on trial by the Federal Government for allegedly facilitating terrorists responsible for the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March 2022.
The statement alleges that Mamu “engaged in terrorism financing by negotiating and transferring ransom payments exceeding $200,000 US to support ISWAP terrorists in securing the release of hostages from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”
One individual is identified as “the alleged assailant of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo in Ondo State on June 5, 2022, and the Kuje Correctional Center in Abuja on July 5, 2022.”
Another is characterized as “a member of Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, a group linked with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.”
“The individual received training and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, also known as One Eyed Out, who leads the Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali,” the document continues.
The NFIU describes this person as an expert in creating covert communication codes for terrorists and an Improvised Explosive Device specialist.
“He also served as a gatekeeper for ANSARU leader Mohammed Usman, also known as Khalid Al-Sudani.”
Another individual was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province in Okene.”
The agency reported that this person “rose to prominence in 2012 as a member of the North Central wing of Boko Haram.”
“The group is suspected of orchestrating attacks in the Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022, assault on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State,” the agency stated.
Another was characterized as “a financial courier for ISWAP in Okene, responsible for distributing funds to the widows and wives of the group’s terrorist fighters.”
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The document notes that one individual “transferred N60 million to terrorism convicts in 2015.”
He is also reported to have “received a total of N189 million between 2016 and 2018.”
This same person is alleged to “own businesses that were reported in a UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
Another individual is reported to have “received a total of N57 million between 2014 and 2017.”
Yet another is said to have had “a total inflow of N61.4 billion and a total outflow of N51.7 billion from his accounts.”
The document further disclosed that under Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are mandated to:
“(a) immediately identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and other economic resources belonging to designated persons and entities in your possession, and report the same to the Sanctions Committee;
“(b) report any frozen assets or actions taken in compliance with these prohibitions to the Sanctions Committee;
“(c) promptly file a Suspicious Transactions Report with the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such individuals or entities; and
“(d) submit a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for all cases where names match in financial transactions before or after receiving this List.”
