The Nigerian government has reportedly listed the publisher of Desert Herald, Tukur Mamu as one of the 15 suspects involved in terrorism financing.
Mamu was listed along with 15 other entities, including nine individuals and six Bureau De Change (BDC) operators and firms, according to a document from the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) titled “Designation of Individuals and Entities for March 18, 2024”, cited by Punch.
The document said the Nigeria Sanctions Committee met on March 18 where it listed the entities as a recommendation for sanctions following their alleged involvement in terrorism financing.
The NFIU said Mamu “Participated in the financing of terrorism by receiving and delivering ransom payments, over the sum of $200,000, in support of ISWAP terrorists for the release of hostages of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack”.
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Mamu is currently being tried by the federal government for allegedly aiding the terrorists who attacked the Abuja-Kaduna train in March 2022.
After he was arrested in 2022, the government said it had found $300,000 in his possession.
The money was tagged as “terrorist funds”.
Mamu has also been accused of exchanging voice notes relating to the Abuja-Kaduna train hostages with one Baba Adamu, a Boko Haram spokesperson.
The publisher has denied any allegiance to terrorists.
The NFIU said one of the terrorism financiers is “the suspected attacker of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo, Ondo State on June 5, 2022, and the Kuje Correctional Center, Abuja on July 5, 2022″.
Terrorism financing is the provision of funds or providing financial support to individual terrorists or non-state actors. Most countries have implemented measures to counter-terrorism financing (CTF) often as part of their money laundering laws.
Some countries and multinational organizations have created a list of organizations that they regard as terrorist organizations, though there is no consistency as to which organizations are designated as being terrorists by each country.
The Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering (FATF) has made recommendations to members relating to CTF. It has created a Blacklist and Greylist of countries that have not taken adequate CTF action.
