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Controversy Trails Leaked List Of Terrorists’ Financiers

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There is controversy around the list of terror financiers purportedly leaked by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and reported on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.

Daily Trust reports that for nearly fifteen years, the federal government, right from the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan, his successor, Muhammadu Buhari, and recently that of Bola Tinubu, have promised to expose terror financiers in the country with a view to unravelling the mystery surrounding the menace.

Thousands of people have been killed since 2009 when the Boko Haram crisis erupted; and the orgy of violence escalated with the onset of banditry in the North West and parts of North Central, as well as sundry crimes manifesting in different forms in other parts of the country.

A report by the Punch newspaper on Wednesday, said the federal government had uncovered the identity of 15 entities, including nine individuals and six Bureaus De Change allegedly involved in terrorism financing.

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It said details of the development were revealed by the NFIU, in an email sent on Tuesday night, entitled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024.”

It indicated that 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.

Even though the first story clearly mentioned the 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, an updated story, which has gone viral on multiple platforms, listed other names and entities.

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These include: Yusuf Ghazali, Muhammad Sani, Abubakar Muhammad, Sallamudeen Hassan, Adamu Ishak, Hassana-Oyiza Isah, Abdulkareem Musa, and Umar Abdullahi.

It also listed six BDCs and firms including the West and East Africa General Trading Company Limited, Settings Bureau De Change Limited, G. Side General Enterprises, Desert Exchange Ventures Limited, Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited and Alfa Exchange BDC.

Apart from Mamu, all the remaining names mentioned are not known, and efforts to unravel their identities did not yield any result as of press time.

NFIU disowns memo

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Contacted yesterday to give more insight on the development, the Head of Public Affairs, NFIU, Abubakar Abba Ibrahim, said the organisation did not issue any statement.

Another senior official in the agency, Sani Tukur, said on the media WhatsApp platform of the agency, “There was no statement from our office sir. I have asked around and no one seems to know how they got it. I believe it is being investigated.”

Also contacted to know when the trial of the suspects will commence, a senior official in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, said they read the story.

“We saw nothing to expand on it because it is not new,” the source said.

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The source further disclosed that the BDC operators and Tukur Mamu have been in court since their indictment in Dubai and arrest in Egypt, respectively.

Arrests started since 2020

Daily Trust had reported in April 2021, that dozens of persons have been arrested by security agents in an on-going nationwide crackdown on suspected financiers and collaborators of Boko Haram and other criminal groups in Nigeria.

Five months earlier, this newspaper had exclusively reported the jailing of six Nigerians in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) over allegations of terrorism financing.

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It was gathered that the closely-guarded operation was being coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), in collaboration with the Department of State Services (DSS), NFIU and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

As part of the operation, billions of naira traced to businesses belonging to persons of interest had been blocked in banks in a series of “post no debit” letters sent out to banks by the CBN and NFIU. The apex bank also obtained court orders directing freezing of dozens of accounts flagged for suspicious transactions.

A security source familiar with the operation confided in a national daily at the time that the operation started in 2020 with massive gathering and analysis of financial intelligence and drawing uplink analysis, leading to initial marking of some 60 businesses and individuals.

The source said an initial list of 957 suspects comprising bureau de change operators, gold miners and sellers, and other businessmen, was being acted upon.

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Before the crackdown was relaxed, about 400 persons were arrested in a series of arrests in Kano, Borno, Abuja, Lagos, Sokoto, Adamawa, Kaduna and Zamfara.

Recent leaked findings

In the latest leaked document, it was stated that 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 Centre, Abuja on July 5, 2022.”

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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-Murabitoun Katibat of AQIM in Algeria and Mali.”

The NFIU allegedly said the individual “Specialises in designing terrorist clandestine communication code and he is also an Improvised Explosive Device expert.

“The subject was also a gatekeeper to ANSARU leader, Mohammed Usman aka Khalid Al-Barnawi. 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.”

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Another was identified as “A senior commander of the Islamic State of West Africa Province Okene.”

It 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.”

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According to the document, another of the individuals “In 2015, transferred N60 million to terrorism convicts”, and was said to have “Received a sum of N189 million between 2016 and 2018.”

The same person was 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 N57 million from between 2014 and 2017.”

Another was said to have “Had a total inflow of N61.4 billion and a total outflow of N51.7 billion from his accounts.”

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4 of 6 indicted BDCs not registered with CAC

Findings by Daily Trust revealed that four of the six bureaus de change allegedly named by the federal government as terrorism financiers are either not registered or have been delisted by the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

Out of the six BDCs, only two, namely Desert Exchange Ventures Limited and Settings Bureau De Change were seen as registered with CAC although their statuses are inactive.

Subsequently, no results were found for West and East Africa General Trading Company Limited, G. Side General Enterprises, Eagle Square General Trading Company Limited and Alfa Exchange BDC.

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This means they were either delisted by the CAC or have not been registered at all.

Desert Exchange Ventures Limited is located at NO. 18, M. Y. C. House, Lawan Dambazau Road, Kano and was incorporated on May 7, 2015, while Settings Bureau De Change is located at NO.43 Ibrahim Taiwo Rd, Kano, and was Incorporated on April 9 2014.

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Police burst organ harvesting gang in Ebonyi

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The Police in Ebonyi have busted an organ harvesting ring responsible for the death of at least three persons in the state.

Spokesperson of the Police, Joshua Ukandu, stated this in Abakaliki yesterday.

He noted that four suspected members of the organ harvesting ring were arrested following a painstaking investigation and credible intelligence into the matter.

The spokesperson said the suspects confessed to being responsible for the murder of Chikezie Idenyi, a Dubai based businessman.

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According to him: “One Mrs. Blessing Chikezie Onyekachi had reported to the command of her missing husband, Mr. Chikezie Idenyi, who left home on 14th September, 2024 on a supposed business trip to Lagos but was not heard from again.

“Police investigation led to the arrest of one Innocent Elebe and Eze Elechi who made useful statements that led the police to arrest Obinna Nwanguru and Oda Peter.

“They confessed to killing Chikezie Idenyi, Chibu Odii and Eze Fabian on different dates while trying to extract their blood/organs to use it to cure a cognitively impaired person (Down syndrome).”

He noted that the corpses of Chikezie Idenyi and Chibu Odii were subsequently recovered while efforts were ongoing to recover the remains of the third victim.

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Ụkandu stated this while giving update on Police crime fighting activities in October, 2024

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INEC accredits over 700 journalists for Ondo gov election

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has announced accrediting 112 media organisations ahead of Ondo State governorship election scheduled to hold November 16.

Yakubu Mahmood, the INEC chairman, disclosed this Abuja, on Friday, adding that the accreditation of the media organisations include over 700 journalists, technicians, and support personnel to facilitate the poll.

He said, “The Commission is glad to announce the accreditation of 112 national and international media organisations (newspaper, radio, television and online) deploying over 700 journalists, technicians and other personnel to facilitate their coverage of the election.

“The detailed breakdown of the media organisations and the number of personnel to be deployed will be uploaded to our website and social media platforms for public information,”

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He, however, called on the professionals to be factual in their reports as part of ensuring peaceful poll.

The INEC Chairman stated, “I appeal to the media to intensify your accurate reportage that will ensure peaceful elections, especially now that campaign by political parties and candidates is in full swing in the State.

“I also appeal to you to continue to serve as a counterforce against fake news, misinformation and disinformation.”

The commissioned disclosed earlier that 72 per cent of registered voters had collected their Permanent Voter Cards.

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Yakubu revealed that by November 6, a mock accreditation exercise in selected polling units for to test result uploads on its result viewing portal would held.

He further noted that it would partner with security agencies to avoid any disruption of the poll.

He stated, “However, we are aware of flashpoints in some local government areas to which we have already drawn the attention of the security agencies.”

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Marketers plan to sell petrol below N1,028/litre Dangote price

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Oil marketers, on Friday, revealed that the price of Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, produced by the Dangote Petroleum Refinery was between N1,015 and N1,028/litre depending on the quantity being purchased.

Based on this, the dealers vowed to import the commodity and sell it below the Dangote refinery price as well as the price being sold by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

Data released by the Major Energies Marketers Association of Nigeria on Thursday showed that the landing cost of petrol was N978.01/litre as of October 31, 2024.

It stated that the landing cost of diesel was N1,069.97/litre, while that of aviation fuel was put at N1,119.67/litre.

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The landing cost of these white products is the unit price of the imported commodities on landing on Nigeria’s shores.

Since the Dangote refinery commenced the release of refined petroleum products domestically, it had refused to announce the cost of the commodity despite several demands for the price.

However, a major marketer, who spoke to one of our correspondents on condition of anonymity due to lack of authorisation to speak on the matter, confirmed that the cost of petrol from the Dangote refinery was higher than that of imported PMS.

According to the official, the refinery currently sells to oil marketers making bulk purchase at N1,015/litre and small buyers at N1,028/litre.

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The major marketer also disclosed that three cargoes carrying petroleum products recently arrived and had been discharged at seaports along the nation’s borders.

“Dangote is selling to bulk buyers at N1,015/litre, but to marketers who are not buying in bulk, the refinery is selling at N1,028/litre.

“But imported PMS is cheaper than the cost of Dangote’ own, and that is why he is doing all he can to ensure that the government stops the importation of fuel,” the dealer stated.

Commenting on the development, marketers under the aegis of the Petroleum Retail Outlet Owners Association of Nigeria vowed that they would sell imported petrol below the price offered by the Dangote refinery.

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The association said its PMS would also be cheaper than that of the NNPCL.

The PETROAN Publicity Secretary, Dr Joseph Obele, however, told Saturday PUNCH that the price of Dangote PMS might be higher because the refinery was still producing with the imported crude it bought at a premium.

He said the association had struck deals with some international fuel suppliers to import PMS at a good price, adding that the product would arrive in Nigeria at a price around N800/litre.

“PETROAN is an association, but we have incorporated our limited liability company called PETROAN Limited. We have got the licence from the Corporate Affairs Commission, and we have applied to the NMDPRA to licence us and give us authority to import. So, as we get that authority to import, I think we will import from the best market.

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“And it is good also for the general public to understand that the landing costs in all the nations are not the same. PETROAN has got a partner from the international market, that the product will arrive here at close to N800/litre. So, since PETROAN has the best value for Nigerian citizens, we are calling on the regulatory agency to release our authority to import in no distant time so our first stock will come in.

“And we assure you that PETROAN will sell far less than Dangote. It will sell at prices far less than NNPC. Right now, NNPC is selling to us at N1,040/litre. PETROAN will not sell like that, because we have negotiated. And all our partners and foreign counterparts are on standby to make sure we give Nigerians the best value,” Obele said.

The associations spokesperson stated that he would not be able to disclose the exact quantity to be imported, but stressed that PMS imported by PETROAN would be cheaper.

Obele explained that Dangote was only selling to NNPC directly, while NNPC sold to marketers.

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“I am telling you that that the position of NNPC as a middleman is still active till tomorrow. NNPC has refused to announce how much Dangote is giving. Dangote has also refused to announce how much he is selling to NNPC. So, I think there is an agreement that they don’t announce it.

“All we know is how much NNPC is selling it to us. However, the transaction between the two is not in the public domain. NNPC has refused to mention it. And the general public has said, please make these things open,” he said.

Speaking on the landing cost of N978/litre, he emphasised that the landing cost differs from country to country.

“N978 to N1,000, that’s the landing cost. It was about N1,100 as of last month. But because of the drop in the selling price of crude oil in the international market, PMS has witnessed a downward review in the international market too. So, I think we should also witness a downward review,“ he said.

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When reminded that the NNPC just jerked up its price, Obele responded, “No, the issue we have is that the only functional refinery we have is the Dangote refinery. And Dangote has announced to everyone who wants to hear that the crude oil stock he is still working on was the one he bought from the international market; that the naira-for-crude stock, he has not started refining that. So, we don’t expect a downward review from someone who bought old stock when crude oil was selling for $80 and $78 per barrel.

“So, now that it has dropped to $72, we are not expecting to review the price automatically. Because you can put it to us that it is still trading with the old stock. But recently, the price of crude oil has dropped. We hope that whoever is buying the new stock of this new trade should review the price downward. But if what Dangote has used to refine the stock available is the old stock got when crude oil was still selling at $80 per barrel, we don’t expect him to review downward.

“Until the refinery commences production with the stock it just received last week in naira, that’s when people can criticise it. But at the moment, I think the selling rate reflects the former cost of crude oil.”

Meanwhile, the National Assistant Secretary of the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria, Yakubu Suleiman, also stated that the cost of Dangote petrol was higher than the imported commodity at the moment.

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Suleiman, speaking in an interview with Arise TV, on Friday, stated that the price of fuel from Dangote refinery was higher than the cost of commodities imported.

According to him, the price of petrol at Dangote refinery was set at around N995 and higher than other sources.

Suleiman also accused the Chief Executive Officer of the Dangote refinery, Aliko Dangote, of sidelining key stakeholders in its fuel supply strategy, claiming that limited engagement with independent marketers had hampered their ability to lift petrol from the facility.

When contacted, the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of Dangote Group, Tony Chiejina, said the figures being bandied were not correct.

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He described reports on Dangote petrol price as fake news, wondering where they emanated from.

“This is fake news. People are just posting what they like,“ he said.

Chiejina, however, declined to give the actual price.

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