Property owners who lease their buildings to terrorists could be prosecuted under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, the Federal Government has warned.
Naija News reports that the warning was issued in Abuja on Tuesday by Mijinyawa Zakari, a Director in the Legal Office of the National Security Adviser, at a briefing on the outcome of the 11th phase of terrorism trials.
Zakari explained that the Act goes beyond direct attacks and criminalises a range of related activities, including preparatory acts and support for terrorist groups.
He said Sections 11 to 33 spell out these offences.
“You may not have a clear-cut act of terrorism or a harmful act, but all those actions, including holding a preparatory meeting with a terrorist group, constitute offences,” he said.
The NSA’s legal officer said anyone found guilty of supporting terrorism faced at least 20 years in prison.
“Renting your property to a terrorist is also an offence,” he said, adding that the government was targeting collaborators based on the findings of investigations.
Zakari also cautioned businesses against accepting money linked to terrorist groups.
He said such companies would pay a fine of ₦200 million, their owners would be prosecuted, and the firms could be wound up, irrespective of whether the funds were used for an attack.
He encouraged the media and other stakeholders to study the Act to better understand what constitutes terrorism-related offences in the country.
“That is why there is a need for increased awareness of what constitutes a terrorist offence in Nigeria. Reading those sections will really help us,” he said.
Zakari said the government was boosting its investigative capacity to ensure more people and organisations involved in financing or aiding terrorism are prosecuted.
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