FG Identifies 100 High-risk Boko Haram Financiers

The Federal Government has said it has identified 100 high-risk financiers of Boko Haram in the country.

Naija News reports that the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, made this known while speaking at the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Counter-Terrorism Financing in India, over the weekend.

In a statement on Sunday by his media aide, Abdulmalik Suleiman, the minister disclosed that the terrorism financiers have links to at least 10 countries of the world.

The statement reads: “The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, has played a significant role, in supporting all our intelligence, security, and military services.

”The unique ability of the NFIU to work with counterparts in the region and across the world, particularly through the framework of the Egmont Group of FIUs, is a key asset for our country.

”In particular, I would like to take a few minutes to discuss some recent results achieved with the support of our partners. In 2019, the NFIU commenced an in-depth analysis of the financing of the Boko Haram group.

”This analysis, which took almost 18 months to complete, resulted in the identification of almost 100 high-risk financiers and identified links to 10 different countries.

“The NFIU was able to build a thorough picture of the transnational sources of the group’s finance, using intelligence from several countries, including our immediate neighbours, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Togo.

”Ultimately, the results of the analysis resulted in the arrest of 48 of the financiers and the ongoing prosecution of a number of them.”

Aregbesola also canvassed for improved welfare for Nigerians living, studying, or seeking business opportunities in India.

The minister equally canvassed granting of special visas for Nigerian businessmen and women to facilitate trade between the two nations.

He made a four-point demand from the Indian government for the improved well-being of Nigerians living in the country, calling for a change in the Indian visa policy for Nigerian students.