The Federal Government has announced that more than 730 individuals have been convicted for terrorism-related offences in Nigeria, as part of coordinated national efforts to strengthen the country’s anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering frameworks.
The figure was disclosed on Monday by the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Rear Admiral Adamu Laka (retd), during an inspection visit by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) ahead of a major evaluation of Nigeria’s compliance with global standards.
Laka explained that the convictions form part of the measures being implemented to secure Nigeria’s removal from the FATF grey list, an international watchlist of countries identified as having strategic deficiencies in combating money laundering and terrorism financing.
“Disrupting the financial lifelines of terrorist organisations is central to our national counterterrorism strategy,” Laka stated.
“We remain firmly committed to this cause and deeply value our ongoing partnership with both domestic and international stakeholders, including the US Department of the Treasury. Our ability to prosecute over 730 terrorism-linked cases is a testament to the effectiveness of our coordinated national approach. More than 90 convictions were secured with support from NFIU.”
He further praised the efforts of the Joint Standard Investigation Committee on Terrorism Financing, describing its work as vital in building Nigeria’s institutional capacity to investigate and prosecute complex financial crimes.
According to Laka, a simulation exercise was recently conducted to assess the readiness of relevant agencies and ensure alignment with the expectations of the FATF review team.
“The strength of our collective preparation will determine the success of the upcoming FATF visit and, ultimately, Nigeria’s removal from the FATF Grey List,” he added.
Also speaking at the event, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hajiya Hafsat Bakari, noted that Nigeria has made significant progress on the 19 action points required by FATF for delisting.
“The importance of this assessment is underscored by the size of the team coming to Nigeria. We will be hosting 11 reviewers covering all the immediate outcomes in our action plan,” she said.
“And considering the difficulty the FATF has previously had in finding reviewers to come to some of the countries in Africa, this is indeed quite a sign of confidence in Nigeria.”
Bakari also announced that the FATF has extended an invitation to Nigeria to join the body as a guest member.
“I’m also delighted to inform you that, as a recognition of the excellent work we have all done and our regional and global leadership, the FATF has invited Nigeria to join as a guest member,” he said.
“This essentially means that Nigeria will participate under its own flag in the discussions and projects of the FATF. While this does not mean a full member, it is nonetheless a further step on our journey to having a seat at the table and reaffirmation that we are on the right track.”
Nigeria, alongside South Africa, was placed on the FATF grey list in 2023. Since then, authorities have undertaken sweeping reforms to address gaps in financial regulation and security coordination.
In November 2024, Bakari had stated that Nigeria had achieved upgrades in five key recommendations outlined by the FATF, and reaffirmed the NFIU’s commitment to seeing the country delisted.
The FATF on-site inspection is a critical phase of the review process and will determine whether Nigeria will exit the grey list in the coming months.
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