The Nigerian government has revealed the identity of 15 entities, including nine persons and six Bureau De Change (BSC) operators and firms who are allegedly involved in financing terrorism in the country.

The revelation is coming two years after a court judgement in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) availed the Nigerian government of names of the alleged sponsors of terrorism but the list was withheld by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration.

The list which was released by the the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in a document titled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024,” also gave graphic details of the level of involvement of the suspects while vowing to mete out stiff sanctions against them.

The document stated that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, where ‘specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.’

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

Among individuals named in the document is a Kaduna-based publisher of Desert Herald Newspaper, Tukur Mamu, who is currently in detention after he was arrested in Egypt and is being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.

The document said 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.

The document also fingered one of the suspected attackers 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 identified as a terror financier, according to the document, is a member of the terrorist group, Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, associated with the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

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

“Another was identified as a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.

“The individual came into limelight in 2012 as a member of North Central wing of Boko Haram.

“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.”

The NFIU document aka identified a female suspect it 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.”

The document said in 2015, she transferred N60m to terrorism convicts and also received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person, the document said, owns entities and businesses in the UAE, and according to court judgment, was facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria, while another individual was said to have received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.

The document revealed further that in accordance with 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. ”

“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.”