We’ve Siezed N45b Looted Funds, Identified Individuals, Entities Linked to Terrorism – Tinubu Govt

Posted by Thandiubani on Fri 17th Nov, 2023 - tori.ng

The government has also identified and designated several individuals and entities linked to terrorist activities.

The Federal Government has said it has seized over N45 billion looted by individuals and entities linked to terrorism.

The government also confirmed that funds traced to these individuals have been confiscated.

This revelation was made by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, during the 40th Technical Commission/Plenary Meeting of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), held at the State House, Abuja.

Fagbemi stated, “We now have over 1,500 officers dedicated to investigating and prosecuting money laundering across these three agencies alone.

“This sustained investment has led to increased numbers of investigations, prosecutions, and convictions consistently since 2021, with 5,118 investigations, 1,509 prosecutions, and almost 500 convictions secured, resulting in over 45 billion naira of illicit proceeds seized.

“We have also made progress in tackling the financing of terrorism and in particular, I am pleased that we have identified and designated a number of individuals and entities linked to terrorist activity and seized funds linked to them.

“The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has become a global model and achieved the outcomes envisaged by the passage of its enabling legislation in 2018, which established it as an independent, autonomous unit.

“The Unit has significantly expanded the scope of financial intelligence it has access to and provides to other competent authorities.

“The Unit has also put in place a number of innovative technologies, including the Crime Records Information Management System (CRIMS), which has transformed our approach to intelligence sharing.”