Nigeria Raises Alarm on Terrorism Financing in Sahel
…Seeks International Support
By Patience Ikpeme
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has sounded the alarm on the increasing threat of terrorism financing in the Sahel region, urging for a strengthened AML/CFT/CPF strategy that includes the private sector.
The Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Mrs. Hafsat Abubakar Bakari, raised this concern during a roundtable organized by the Center for International Private Enterprise in Washington D.C.
She highlighted the significant internal crisis of banditry and kidnapping linked to terrorism in Nigeria, fueled by the flow of weapons from Libya.
Mrs. Bakari emphasized the NFIU’s political will and support to combat terrorism financing but stressed the need for institutional support to achieve its mandate. She also called for international cooperation to address the proliferation of finance in the Sahel and Lake Chad region.
The NFIU has been instrumental in reviving the Joint Task Force on tackling terrorism finance in the Sahel, and member states are set to sign an MOU to this effect later this month. Mrs. Bakari emphasized the need for sustainable measures to combat terrorism and urged the international community to provide the necessary support.
During a meeting with the Director of the Africa Programme at the Wilson Center, Ms. Oge Onubogu, Mrs. Bakari agreed on joint efforts to raise awareness of Nigeria’s groundbreaking reforms within the US public and private sectors. The NFIU CEO highlighted the concrete steps taken by Nigerian stakeholders to identify, investigate, and prosecute terrorism financiers.
Mrs. Bakari announced that Nigeria is making significant progress towards securing membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
The Director of the Africa Programme at the Wilson Center assured the NFIU boss of her willingness to provide a platform for Nigeria to showcase its strategies in combating terrorism finance and counter-proliferation finance.
