The Federal Government has uncovered the identity of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change operators and firms, allegedly involved in terrorism financing.
Details of the development were revealed by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, on Tuesday night, entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”
The document revealed that the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18, 2024, where specific individuals and entities were recommended for sanction following their involvement in terrorism financing.
The Attorney General of the Federation, with the approval of the President, therefore designated the individuals and entities to be listed on the Nigeria Sanctions List.
Among the individuals named in the document was a Kaduna-based publisher, Tukur Mamu, who is currently being tried by the Federal Government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
According to the document, Mamu “participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransome 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 an ally of controversial Kaduna-based Islamic cleric, Sheikh Gumi.
The document said one of the individuals 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 was described as “a member of the terrorist group Ansarul Muslimina Fi Biladissudam, the group is associated with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.
The NFIU said the individual “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device (IED) expert.
Another was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province, ISWAP Okene.”
The agency said, the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.