The Nigerian government has disclosed a list of 15 entities, comprising nine individuals and six foreign exchange operators and companies, implicated in funding terrorism. This information was made public by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).
A document titled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024,” revealed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on the same date. During this meeting, specific individuals and entities were proposed for sanctions due to their involvement in financing terrorism.
The document stated, “With the President’s approval, the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation has designated the following individuals and entities to be included in the Nigeria Sanctions List.”
One of the individuals listed is Tukur Mamu, a publisher based in Kaduna. Mamu is currently facing trial by the Federal Government for allegedly assisting the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022. The document alleges that Mamu “facilitated terrorism financing by receiving and transferring ransom payments exceeding $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages from the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”
The document also identifies an individual as “the suspected perpetrator of the attacks on St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022, and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”
Another individual is described as “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. This person was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, who led the Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”
The NFIU disclosed that this individual “specializes in creating clandestine communication codes for terrorists and is also an expert in Improvised Explosive Devices. He also served as a gatekeeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Additionally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert regions of Algeria and Mali. He works as a carpenter and escaped from the Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently on the run.”
Another individual was identified as “a high-ranking commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.” The agency stated that this individual “rose to prominence in 2012 as a member of the North Central wing of Boko Haram. The group is suspected of carrying out attacks in the Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”
Another individual was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is in charge of disbursing funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”
According to the document, another individual “transferred N60m to convicted terrorists in 2015.” He was also reported to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.” This person is said to “own businesses and entities reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
Another individual was reported to have “received a total of N57m between 2014 and 2017.” Another individual was reported to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”
