The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged the Oyo State Government to strengthen the registration, monitoring and supervision of non-profit organisations (NPOs) to prevent them from being exploited for terrorism financing.
EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede, made the call during a three-day terrorism financing risk assessment exercise in Ibadan.
Olukoyede, represented by the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), Assistant Commander of EFCC I Ibinabo Amachree, said stronger regulatory measures were needed to prevent humanitarian aid, donations and other resources channelled through NPOs from being diverted to terrorist activities.
He called for legislation that would establish a stronger framework for the registration and supervision of NPOs in the state.
The EFCC chairman also urged non-profit organisations to strengthen internal measures to protect their activities and resources from diversion, while commending their contributions to humanitarian services, healthcare and support for vulnerable groups.
The Oyo State Government, through the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Musibau Babatunde, assured the EFCC and other relevant agencies of its support for the exercise.
Babatunde said terrorist elements were increasingly exploiting crowdfunding, humanitarian interventions and informal financial channels to raise and move funds.
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He assured that the state government would take necessary steps to ensure that NPOs were not used as channels for terrorism financing.
The DSS and Nigerian Army also pledged continued collaboration with the EFCC and the state government to identify and disrupt terrorism financing.
The assessment, which involved NPO representatives from Oyo, Osun and Lagos states, focused on compliance with regulations and identifying vulnerabilities within the non-profit sector.
The EFCC said the exercise formed part of the Federal Government’s risk-based approach to combating terrorism financing and illicit financial flows.
