Nigeria Prosecuted 100 Terrorism Financiers In 2 Years — Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu revealed that over the last two years, Nigeria has successfully prosecuted and convicted more than 100 terrorist financiers as part of its efforts to combat financial crimes and terrorism financing.

Tinubu, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, made this disclosure on Tuesday during the National Anti-Money Laundering, Combating Terrorism Financing and Counter Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) Compliance Summit. The event was organized by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in Abuja.

In his speech, Tinubu emphasized the importance of targeting the financial backbone of terrorist organizations. He explained that through the efforts of the National Security Adviser and the Attorney General of the Federation, the Nigerian government has been able to disrupt the financial networks supporting groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP, denying them the resources necessary to carry out violent activities.

“We have made progress in tackling the threats of terrorism and other violent crimes. We have prosecuted and convicted over 100 terrorist financiers in the last two years,” Tinubu said. He also reiterated that targeting terrorist financing is in line with global best practices and serves as a critical component of the country’s efforts to combat serious criminal activities.

Additionally, Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, the CEO of NFIU, called for continued collaboration among various stakeholders—political leaders, regulators, law enforcement agencies, financial institutions, and international partners—highlighting that the fight against financial crimes requires collective strength and commitment.

She also referenced the 2019 Mutual Evaluation Report by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), which identified weaknesses in Nigeria’s Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Counter-Terrorism Financing (CFT), and Counter-Proliferation Financing (CPF) regimes. As a result, Nigeria was placed on the “Grey List” by the International Cooperation Review Group (ICRG). Bakari assured that reforms have been implemented to address these findings.

The summit also aimed to strengthen Nigeria’s financial systems and ensure better collaboration between the public and private sectors in mitigating risks associated with financial crimes.