The Nigerian Sanctions Committee has revealed the identities of 15 entities, comprising individuals and Bureau De Change (BDC) firms, who have been sanctioned for financing terrorism.
News About Nigeria reports that this announcement comes following a directive from the Federal Government.
According to details disclosed by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the list includes nine individuals and six BDC firms.
Among the individuals sanctioned are Tukur Mamu, Yusuf Ghazali, Muhammad Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, Sallamudeen Hassan, Adamu Ishak, Hassana-Oyiza Isah, Abdulkareem Musa, and Umar Abdullahi.
Furthermore, the six BDC firms facing sanctions are West and East Africa General Trading Company Limited, Settings Bureau De Change Limited, G. Side General Enterprises, Desert Exchange Ventures Limited, Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited, and Alfa Exchange BDC.
The NFIU disclosed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee convened on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction due to their alleged 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 read in part.
Top of the list of sanctioned individuals is Tukur Mamu, a Kaduna-based publisher who is currently facing trial for his alleged role in aiding terrorists responsible for the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March 2022.
Mamu is accused of facilitating ransom payments totaling over $200,000 US in support of the ISWAP terrorists involved in the attack.
Additionally, one of the individuals listed is implicated in the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, and the Kuje Correctional Centre in Abuja.
Another individual is identified as a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
The NFIU said that the sanctioned individual specialised in designing terrorist communication codes and possessing expertise in improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
This individual served under Muktar Belmokhtar, also known as One Eyed Out, and was a gatekeeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman, alias Khalid Al-Bamawi.
Moreover, the sanctioned individual is reported to have fled from Kuje Correctional Centre in July 2022 and is currently at large.
