Police create special unit to tackle terrorism financing, illicit funds

The Nigeria Police Force has established a specialised unit to investigate terrorism financing, money laundering and other financial crimes as part of efforts to strengthen intelligence-led policing and combat organised crime.

 

Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, announced the development on Tuesday during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

 

Disu said police officers nationwide had been directed to refer cases involving terrorism financing, banditry and suspicious financial transactions to specialised investigators.

 

“We have directed all our officers to direct cases they discover that have to do with terror, banditry, and where monies have been circulated to teams that are specialised in handling it,” he said.

 

The police chief disclosed that the Force had created a Proceeds of Crime Section, headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police with expertise in financial crime, to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing efforts.

 

“The establishment and operationalisation of the section have enhanced the visibility and relevance of the Force within the Nigerian anti-money laundering architecture,” Disu added.

 

He explained that the initiative was necessary because criminal groups increasingly rely on illicit financial transactions that often cut across national borders.

 

The Inspector-General also called on the NFIU to provide additional training for police personnel in financial intelligence, asset tracing and related investigations.

 

Speaking earlier, the Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, Hafsat Bakari, described the Nigeria Police Force as a key partner in the country’s fight against money laundering and terrorism financing.

 

According to her, financial intelligence has become vital in investigating crimes such as terrorism financing, kidnapping, cybercrime, corruption, human trafficking, drug trafficking, illegal mining, arms trafficking and other forms of organised crime.