Headlines
FG Reveals 15 Individuals, Entities Financing Terrorism
The Federal Government says it 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, in an email seen by The Punch 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 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.
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 ransom payments over the sum of $200,000 US in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack.”
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 subject was trained and served under Muktar Belmokhtar, aka One Eyed Out, led Al-Murabtoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”
The NFIU said the individual “specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also Improvised Explosive Device expert.
“The subject was also a gate keeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Bamawi. Equally, he was a courier and travel guide to AQIM Katibat in the desert of Algeria and Mali. He is into carpentry. Subject fled Kuje correctional centre on July 5, 2022. He is currently at large.”
Another was identified as “a senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”
The agency said, the individual “came into limelight in 2012 as North Central wing of Boko Haram.
“The group is suspected of the attacks carried out around Federal Capital Territory and the South West Geographical Zone, including the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.”
Another was described as “a financial courier to ISWAP Okene. She is responsible for the disbursement of funds to the widows/wives of the terrorist fighters of the group.”
According to the document, another of the individuals “in 2015, transferred N60m to terrorism convicts.”
He was also said to have “received a sum of N189m between 2016 and 2018.”
The same person is said to “own entities and business reported in the UAE court judgment as facilitating the transfer of terrorist funds from Dubai to Nigeria.”
Another individual was said to have “received a total of N57m from between 2014 and 2017.”
Another was said to have “had a total inflow of N61.4 bn and a total outflow of N51.7bn from his accounts.”
The document further revealed that, in accordance with Section 54 of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, institutions and individuals are required to:
“(a) immediately, identify and freeze, without prior notice, all funds, assets, and any other economic resources belonging to the designated persons and entities in your possession and report same to the Sanctions Committee;
“(b) report to the Sanctions Committee any assets frozen or actions taken in compliance with the prohibition requirements.
“(c) immediately file a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU for further analysis on the financial activities of such an individual or entity; and
“(d) report as a Suspicious Transactions Report to the NFIU, all cases of name matching in financial transactions prior to or after receipt of this List. ”
It said the “The freezing obligation required above shall extend to
“(a) all funds or other assets that are owned or controlled by the designated persons and entities, and not only those that are tied to a particular act, plot, or threat of terrorism or terrorism financing;
“(b) those funds or other assets that are wholly or jointly owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by designated persons or entities;
“(c) the funds or other assets derived or generated from funds or other assets owned or controlled directly or indirectly by designated persons or entities; and
“(d) funds or other assets of persons and entities acting on behalf of, or at the direction of designated persons or entities.”
The Punch
The Rivers State House of Assembly has accused Governor Siminalayi Fubara and his deputy Ngozi Odu of gross misconduct.
Twenty-six members of the Assembly raised the allegation in a notice sent to the speaker Martin Amaewhule and obtained by Channels Television.
They said the action was “in compliance with Section 188 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and other extant laws”.
The lawmakers accused Fubara among other things of reckless and unconstitutional expenditure of public funds, hindering or obstructing the Rivers State House of Assembly which is another arm of the government, and the appointment of persons to occupy offices/positions in the Rivers State Government without allowing for the requirement of screening and confirmation.
Other accusations against the Rivers governor include the seizure of salaries, allowances, and funds standing to the credit of the legitimate Rivers State House of Assembly and the seizure of the salary of the Clerk of the Rivers State House of Assembly Emeka Amadi.
They also accused Odu of “conniving and supporting the illegal appointment of persons to occupy offices/positions in the Rivers State Government without allowing for the requirement of screening and confirmation”.
Upon receipt of the notice, Amaewhule forwarded the same to Governor Fubara and said the allegation was raised by “not less than one-third (1/3) of the membership of the Rivers State House of Assembly”.
Speaker Amaewhule asked Fubara to “reply to the allegations made against you in the said ‘Notice of Allegations of Gross Misconduct’ accordingly”.
“In doing this, your attention is drawn to the provisions of Section 188(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides thus: ‘Within 14 days of the presentation of the notice to the Speaker of the House of Assembly (whether or not any statement made by holder of the office in reply to the allegation contained in the notice) the House of Assembly shall resolve by motion, without any debate whether or not the allegation shall be investigated’,” the speaker said in a letter sent to Fubara.
Headlines
Again, El-Rufai Attacks Tinubu over Chicago Varsity Certificate Scandal, Calls President Ungrateful
A former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, said he and his allies had hoped that President Bola Tinubu would replicate his achievements in Lagos at the national level but failed woefully.
El-Rufai explained that despite concerns about Tinubu’s alleged certificate forgery from Chicago State University during the 2023 presidential election they backed him, believing he could transform Nigeria as he did Lagos.
“What pains me is that the government we supported and had confidence in would do well, because we saw what Tinubu did in Lagos despite his challenges,” El-Rufai told BBC Hausa in an interview on Saturday.
“We all know about his issues in Chicago, but we thought if he could replicate his work in Lagos for Nigeria, let’s support him. However, he failed,”
El-Rufai called on opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola, to unite under the Social Democratic Party (SDP) to salvage the country.
“What I want and pray for is for all opposition leaders—Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi, and Rauf Aregbesola—to join the SDP,” he added.
El-Rufai also dismissed accusations that he betrayed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, stating that his past disagreements with Atiku during the Obasanjo administration were based on principle, not personal animosity.
“I never betrayed Atiku Abubakar because we didn’t meet in politics; we met at work. In work, if I see that he didn’t do well, whoever he is, I will tell him. I told Buhari, and I even took Buhari to court on the new naira issue,” he said.
“When Obasanjo and Atiku were having issues, those of us working with Obasanjo looked at the issues between them and said Obasanjo was more right. It was not about north and south; Obasanjo was right. Atiku and I are now together, and if I betrayed him, why are we together now.”
United States Secretary of State, Marco Rubio has announced that President Donald Trump’s administration is expelling South Africa’s ambassador to Washington.
Rubio announced this on Friday, accusing the envoy of hating the country and President Trump.
“South Africa’s Ambassador to the United States is no longer welcome in our great country,” Rubio posted on X.
“Ebrahim Rasool is “a race-baiting politician who hates America and hates @POTUS,” he said, referring to Trump by his White House X account handle.
“We have nothing to discuss with him and so he is considered PERSONA NON GRATA.”
The expulsion of the ambassador comes amid rising tensions between Washington and Pretoria.
Trump in February this year froze US aid to South Africa, citing a law in the country that he alleges allows land to be seized from white farmers.
Trump further fueled tensions last week, when he said that South Africa’s farmers were welcome to settle in the United States after repeating his allegation that the government was “confiscating” land from white people.
