…Sanctions to be Imposed

Unmasking sponsors of terrorism in the country have been long demanded by Nigerians. The sophistication and mode of operations of the terrorists have suggested they have backers in high places. Most Nigerians believe bandits and kidnappers did not drop from the sky; they have backers and sponsors, but nobody understood the government’s reluctance to reveal information collated by its intelligence officers on those involved.

All that changed on Wednesday, when the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in a courageous and bold move, through the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), unveiled the identities of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly involved in terrorism financing.

According to the document, the NFIU has implemented the wording and spirit of the mandate of the Unit under Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are required to:

“(a) immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee;

“(b) report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.

“(c) immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such an individual or entity; and

“(d) report as a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU, all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this List. ”

It said the “The freezing obligation required above shall extend to

“(a) all funds or other assets that are owned or controlled by the designated persons and entities, and not only those that are tied to a particular act, plot, or threat of terrorism or terrorism financing;

“(b) those funds or other assets that are wholly or jointly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by designated persons or entities;

“(c) the funds or other assets derived or generated from funds or other assets owned or controlled directly or indirectly by designated persons or entities; and

“(d) funds or other assets of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of designated persons or entities.”

Some of the names contained in the explosive list include Alhaji Tukur Mamu,
Yusuf Ghazali, Muhammad Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, Sallamudeen Hassan, Adamu Ishak,Hassana-Oyiza Isah and Abdulkareem Musa.

The NFIU was said to have disclosed its findings in a memo entitled: “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”

According to the document, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on 18 March, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their alleged involvement in terrorism financing.

“The Honourable Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, has there upon designated the following individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List,” the document read in part.

Top on the list of those fingered for sponsoring terrorism in the country was Alhaji Tukur Mamu, Publisher of Desert Herald who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

According to the document, Alhaji Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”

Alhaji Mamu who is a media aide to Sheik Ahmad Gumi, a controversial Islamic cleric, has also been accused of exchanging voice notes relating to the Abuja-Kaduna train hostages with one Baba Adamu, a Boko Haram spokesperson.”

The NFIU said Mamu: “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransom payments, over the sum of $200,000, in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack”.

Mamu is currently being tried by the federal government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
After he was arrested in 2022, the government said it had found $300,000 in his possession.

The document also said one of the individuals on the list is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022 and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”

Another person on the released list was described as: “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam . The group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

According to the released memo, “The subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”

The NFIU said the individual: “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.

“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large”, the statement stressed.

Also, another was suspect was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”

The agency said, the suspect “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.

The memo said: “The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”

A lady on the list was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”

According to the document, one of the suspects “in 2015, transferred N60 million to terrorism convicts.”

He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person is said to : “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”

Another suspect on the list was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”

Yet, another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7 bn in his accounts.”