Nigeria denies as ECOWAS reports ISWAP launders N18bn annually

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has disputed the report by ECOWAS alleging that N18 billion ISWAP funds were laundered through Nigeria’s formal financial system.

According to a statement by its Chief Media Analyst, Ahmed Dikko in Abuja, on Monday, NFIU claimed the story is “totally outdated and was based on a 2019 country evaluation report which is literally stale and irrelevant today.”

“It is to the knowledge of the international community, our populace and the formal media organisations that several arrests were made through the ongoing Operation Service Wide approved by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA). The exercise is continuing and far from over.

“In addition, all funding of violence from all sections of the country are being evidently analysed and reported to all relevant authorities according to law.

“It’s true that recently Nigeria fell a victim of illicit financial flows but overt and far-reaching efforts are being executed by government to stem the bad practice.

“The ECOWAS body released its report to justify putting Nigeria Financial System under enhanced review  process alongside other countries in the Sahel.”

Continuing, the statement, “We had formally faulted the report to the ECOWAS body while agreeing to partner with them to carry out further review processes to jointly attain global best practices on all countermeasures against local and cross border violent crimes disturbing entire West Africa presently.

“All our neighbours have proofs of our exchange of terrorist financial intelligence with the real-time”.