FG develops anti money laundering, terrorists financing strategy

The Federal Government has expressed commitment to meeting the global standards for combating money laundering and terrorists financing in the country.

The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday by Mr Mohammed Manga, Director of Press and Public Relations of the Ministry.

The minister said this was in a bid to end financial crimes and other threats to internal security in Nigeria.

Aregbesola, in a meeting with the head of the National Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Mr Modibbo Tukur, said that he would continue to provide the leadership required to ensure parastatals of the ministry perform optimally.

Aregbesola also said he would give the needed leadership in order to meet their obligations as members of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Anti-Money Laundering and Counter Terrorism Financing.

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“I assure you of my commitment to ensure that appropriate strategies are put in place to meet the global standards for combating Money Laundering and Terrorists Financing,” Aregbesola said.

He added that if terrorism financing is arrested in Nigeria, the confidence of foreign investors would be boosted and also enhance socio-economic activities.

Earlier, Tukur said his team was in the Ministry in recognition of its importance as one of the three key Ministries that have strategic roles in combating the challenges of money laundering, terrorism financing and proliferation of arms.

He also said that his team came to brief the Minister on the forthcoming mutual evaluation exercise by the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa.

Tukur identified other parties in this regard as the Federal Ministries of Finance, Budget and National Planning as well as Justice.

He further intimated Aregbesola on the proposed assessment of the Ministry and 34 other Federal Government Agencies by the global community under the auspices of Financial Action Task Force, billed for October.

The global task force is saddled with the responsibility of reviewing various countries to see their compliance with their national legislation in the area of criminalisation of crimes.

Other areas were money laundering and related crimes to ensuring that a particular country’s system was not threatening itself to undermine peace and development and that of the global community.  Nigerian News