The Central Bank governor of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, on Tuesday stated that activities of the Boko Haram sect operating in Nigeria and some neighbouring counties continue due to ease of financing.
This statement came in just as the Director of Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Francis Usani, accused commercial banks and other financial institutions in Nigeria of complicity in financial risk assessment support.
Usani, while speaking in Abuja at the opening of a regional workshop on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risk Assessment for Financial Institutions, organised by Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa, a specialized body of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), lauded the CBN for its support for the risk assessment in Nigeria.
He however said banks and financial institutions had not keyed in to the exercise.
“Banks and financial institutions have not keyed in to the risk assessment. I’ll advise that they support the national risk assessment; it is to their own benefit if risks are identified, articulated and mitigated. The CBN has supported risk assessment both in human efforts and resources,” Usani said.
Also speaking at the workshop, Emefiele who was represented by the Deputy Governor in charge of Financial System and Stability, Dr. Joseph Nnana, noted that a docile financial environment is disposed to money laundering and financing of terrorism activities.
