UK to support Nigeria’s terrorism financing fight

Nigeria’s fight against terrorism financing will soon receive a boost as a team from the UK Treasury Department paid an assessment visit to the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

This indication was given in Abuja at an In-country Assessment Meeting between the UK Department of Treasury and the CAC.

The head of the assessment team, Allison Kelly supported by Ian Collins, said the meeting was aimed at evaluating performance, peer review and to generate inputs that would lead to greater efficiency among others.

Kelly said that the team held similar meetings with other relevant government agencies with a view to identifying areas needing intervention from the department.

During the meeting, separate presentations were by some CAC officials including the Director Compliance, Justin Nidia Biraol who spoke on the “Use of Legal Persons for Terrorism Financing and The Use of Beneficial Ownership Information to aid Terrorism Financing Investigations”.

The Special Assistant to the Registrar General, Terver Ayua-Jor, spoke on “Identifying Beneficial Ownership of Companies Involved or Used in Terrorism Financing” and the Director Incorporated Trustees, Olutoyin Abe spoke on the “Registration of NGOs” and the Challenges associated with post incorporation.

Mr Ambrose Obeta, CAC’s Head of ICT highlighted some challenges and rolled out areas of possible collaboration and support from the vising delegation to enable the Commission operate at par with its global peers in the area of combating terrorism financing.

In his remark, the CAC Registrar General, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, expressed delight over the visit which he said has huge potentials to enhance the Commission’s enforcement of Compliance related matters.

Represented by Mrs Ifeoma Isaac, the Director Customer Service, Abubakar pledged CAC’s support towards realising the objective of the meeting.

The meeting is a follow up to a workshop earlier held in the UK to discuss findings and address deficiencies noted in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism financing and proliferation financing.

(NAN)