ON February 3, 2022, Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, announced that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) had identified a total of 709 individuals and firms who were sponsoring terrorism in the nation.
At the press conference meant to discuss the administration’s fight against corruption, Mr Mohammed 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.”
He revealed, however, that the analysis had resulted in the arrest of 45 suspects “who will soon face prosecution and seizure of assets,” noting that the NFIU had also identified N3.909 trillion in value added tax (VAT ) and N3.738 trillion in withholding tax due to the Nigerian government.
Terrorists in Nigeria Source: https://placng.org/
“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,” Mr Mohammed noted.
However, like many things in Nigeria, Mr Mohammed did not disclose the names of the individuals and firms. He also did not reveal whether the firms and individuals were being prosecuted or not. In a similar fashion, the present government of Bola Tinubu has not shown that it has even seen the NFIU security document and hasn’t spoken about the delicate matter up till now.
Some Nigerians who spoke with Economy Post said they would not be surprised if some of the identified individuals were going about their businesses or allowed to escape secretly.
A social security expert, Dr Ben Agbese, said even though security and terrorism matters were often kept under wraps, the government must be more transparent in handling sensitive matters.
“Look, if the Nigerian government prosecuted Nnamdi Kanu in full public glare, what stops it from giving the same treatment to terrorists or their sponsors? My opinion is that the current administration should show the world that it is serious with tackling terrorism by calling for the list and prosecuting the individuals and companies named. What is source for the goose is sauce for the gander,” he said.
But another security expert, Mr Ibrahim Gusau, explained that security matters were often treated with caution, noting that the Nigerian government might have acted on the list.
“You won’t know when the government prosecutes the individuals because you aren’t a security officer,” he said. “So, it is possible that justice has been served. However, there is something that government after government does, which I consider inappropriate. What stops the last or current admnistration from showing terrorism prosecution on TV? This is why President Donald Trump doesn’t think we are serious with tackling insecurity matters.”
He said that governments had been “ineffective in tackling insecurity and plays the ostrich about security matters,” stressing that “the leadership of President Tinubu must deploy intelligence to tackle insecurity.”
UAE, US handled terrorism differently
However, when the opportunity presented itself, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the United States showed the strength of their institutions. In 2022, the UAE identified six Nigerians sponsoring Boko Haram from its shores. It prosecuted them alongside the U.S.
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Its partner, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), designated the group of six individuals, who were found guilty pf raising funds totalling $782,000 for insurgents in Nigeria.
The names of the six convicted persons are: Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad. Neither the UAE nor the U.S. spared these individuals like it is often done in Nigeria. Rather, the UAE jailed 2 of them for life and 4 others for 10 years.
“OFAC’s action follows arrests, prosecutions, and designations in the UAE in September 2021, demonstrating the commitment of the Emirati government to using judicial measures and targeted financial sanctions to disrupt the flow of funds to these networks,” the U.S. Department of Treasury said.
The U.S. Department of State classified Boko Haram as a ‘Foreign Terrorist Organisation’ and a ‘Specially Designated Global Terrorist’ on November 14, 2013.
Salihu Yusuf Adamu and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad were sentenced to life imprisonment for violations of the UAE anti-terrorism laws, while Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan were sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by deportation. In other words, the individuals will be deported to Nigeria in 2032 – after serving their jail terms.
The U.S. also confiscated properties belonging to the individuals. “All property and interests in property of the individuals named above, and of any entities that are owned, directly or indirectly, 50 percent or more by them, individually, or with other blocked persons, that are in the United States or in the possession or control of U.S. persons, must be blocked and reported to OFAC,” said the U.S. Department of Treasury.
“Unless authorized by a general or specific license issued by OFAC or otherwise exempt, OFAC’s regulations generally prohibit all transactions by U.S. persons or within the United States (including transactions transiting the United States) that involve any property or interests in property of designated or otherwise blocked persons.”
