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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 LAGOS 000473 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/W, INR/AA 
TREASURY FOR FINCEN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/25/2016 
TAGS: EFIN PGOV CASC KCOR KCRIM NI
SUBJECT: DIRECTOR OF NIGERIAN FINANCIAL INTEL UNIT ON 
RESIGNATION, STATE OF NFIU 
 
REF: ABUJA 946 
 
Classified By: Acting Consul General Helen C. Hudson, Reasons 1.4 (B,D) 
 
Classified By: Political Counselor Walter Pflaumer for 
reasons 1.4. (b & d). 
 
¶1. (C) SUMMARY.  Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) 
Director A.B. Okauru (strictly protect) met with Poloffs on 
November 19 to discuss his sudden resignation from the NFIU 
on November 18 and the current state of affairs within the 
organization.  He told Poloffs he resigned upon learning of 
EFCC Chairwoman Farida Waziri's intention to suspend him, 
reportedly on grounds of disloyalty.  Okauru and his wife 
were briefly detained at the NFIU headquarters as police 
blocked their departure for an hour.  Okauru told Poloffs 
that the EFCC is "in very bad shape" and claimed that EFCC 
Chair Waziri wants to control and approve everything.  He 
maintained she has suspended the NFIU's ability to 
communicate and share information directly with other Egmont 
Group FIUs, demanding that she clear off on all 
communications.  Ministry of Commerce Special Control Unit 
Against Money Laundering (SCUML) Director Norman Wokoma was 
appointed acting Director.  We believe, but have no 
confirmation, that Wokoma returned on November 17 from his 
Washington trip with Okauru and told Waziri of Okauru's 
expressions to USG officials of frustration with EFCC 
management.  Okauru's resignation further complicates the 
question of how we work with and support institutions and 
move our anti-corruption agenda forward.  Okauru is an 
American citizen and says he is concerned for his safety to 
the extent that he is always concerned as a result of his 
former position as NFIU Chief, however he does not feel he is 
in imminent danger or that he needs to leave Nigeria.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (C) Okauru was composed and professional as he met with 
Poloffs on November 19 to discuss his resignation from the 
NFIU the day before.   He appeared sincerely proud of the 
work he had done and disappointed that he would no longer be 
a part of the NFIU.  He asked Poloffs to specifically pass to 
his colleagues in the U.S. that he had enjoyed working with 
them and felt the NFIU had accomplished much in a short time. 
 Okauru told Poloffs his last official action as NFIU 
Director was to hand over leadership of the NFIU to the 
Director for Administration, Ms. Binta Ranor.  Okauru said, 
however, that Waziri appointed SCUML Director Norman Wokoma 
as acting NFIU Director. (COMMENT: Wokoma traveled with 
Okauru to the U.S. and, we believe but have no confirmation, 
that he reported back to Waziri on Okauru's conversations 
with USG officials about his frustration with the EFCC's 
current direction.  INLoff attending GIABA conference in 
Dakar, Senegal reports that members of the Nigerian 
delegation there said yesterday Waziri has been very 
sensitive to contacts with USG officials carried out without 
her knowledge and had warned at an EFCC retreat that any 
disloyalty or appearance of disloyalty to her would be 
punished.  END COMMENT.)  NFIU Deputy Director John Akonbo 
was transferred to SCUML to replace Wokoma as Director. 
 
SAYS WAZIRI SEES NFIU AS POLITICAL TOOL 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶3. (C) Okauru described the NFIU and the EFCC as "in very bad 
shape." He told Poloffs that direct communication and 
information sharing between the NFIU and other FIUs (an 
Egmont Group prerequisite) has entirely ceased -- with Waziri 
insisting on clearing all NFIU communications.  Okauru 
maintained that rather than just delaying the process, once 
communications were sent to Waziri for clearance, no action 
was ever taken on them.  Okauru believed that Waziri had not 
understood the NFIU's role when she took over as EFCC Chair, 
and so had not at first interfered.  As her understanding of 
the unitdeepened, however, Okauru maintained she began to 
understand the importance of the NFIU's role. 
 
LAGOS 00000473  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶4. (C) Okauru further told Poloffs that the system of checks 
and balances at NFIU had revealed that Waziri pressured a 
low-level NFIU employee to try (unsuccessfully) to access the 
financial transactions of former Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu, 
insisting the employee keep her inquiry a secret.  (COMMENT: 
Former Governor Tinubu is under investigation by the EFCC. 
NFIU reports to the EFCC Board of Directors; however, the 
EFCC Chairman does not have access to NFIU data and computer 
systems as the Unit is intended to function independently -- 
a requirement of Egmont Group membership.  END COMMENT.)  In 
addition, Okauru says Waziri went behind his back to request 
information from other FIUs in the Egmont Group.  (Note: FIUs 
communicate directly with each other within the Egmont Group; 
however, the EFCC does not have the authority to communicate 
with Egmont.  End Note.)  Okauru told Poloff and INLoff on 
May 18 (reftel) that his presence at the NFIU would be a good 
barometer of the EFCC's seriousness as a corruption fighting 
institution, stressing that he would leave if he felt the 
organization's integrity was threatened.  Although Okauru 
said he did not return from the U.S. with the intention of 
resigning, he told Poloffs he can now no longer work for 
Chairwoman Waziri. 
 
WHAT NEXT FOR OKAURU 
- - - - - - - - - - - 
¶5. (C) Okauru is an American citizen (as well as a Nigerian 
citizen) who was recruited by former EFCC Chairman Ribadu to 
set up the NFIU.  He told Poloffs he is concerned for his 
safety to the extent that he is the former NFIU Chief.  He 
maintains, however, that, he does not feel in imminent 
danger, and does not see a need to leave Nigeria at present. 
(Note: Poloffs provided contact information and urged Okauru 
to let them know should he feel himself in jeopardy.  End 
note.)  He told Poloffs he is unsure what he will do next but 
had always tried to stay below the political radar. Several 
media outlets had already contacted Okauru, but he told 
Poloffs he was willing only to provide them a copy of his 
pro-forma resignation letter. 
 
THE NUTS AND BOLTS OF HIS RESIGNATION AND "DETENTION" 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶6. (C) Okauru told Poloffs he returned from Washington on 
November 17, where he and SCUML Director Norman Wokoma met 
with U.S. Departments of State, Treasury and Justice.  Okauru 
said he received a call from EFCC Human Resources on November 
18 requesting his immediate return to his NFIU office to sign 
for a letter.  Okauru told them he was in meetings and unable 
to return to the office until that evening.  When he did 
return to his office (with his wife), approximately 15 Mobile 
Police (MoPol) officers assigned to the EFCC prevented him 
and his wife from departing and told them they were under 
orders to "seal the NFIU."  According to Okauru, one of the 
MoPol officers informed him he was to have received a 
suspension letter earlier in the day. 
 
¶7. (C) Okauru said he immediately confronted Waziri over the 
phone about what was happening.  She replied that he had been 
disloyal and that she should have suspended him long ago.  He 
told her he was surprised at this since he always considered 
himself to be cooperative and professional.  Okauru said 
Waziri also insisted that she should not be blamed for his 
being detained by the police.  Okauru then told Waziri that 
she need not suspend him as he was resigning effective 
immediately.  Okauru told Poloffs that Waziri believes he has 
been leaking information to online news site SaharaReporters. 
 Okauru adamantly denied this, though he did note that 
SaharaReporters often receives detailed, correct information. 
 
 
¶8. (C) Upon typing his letter of resignation, Okauru and his 
wife were permitted to leave unhindered.  Okauru delivered 
his resignation to the EFCC Headquarters early on November 
19, after which he returned to the NFIU to pack his personal 
 
LAGOS 00000473  003 OF 003 
 
 
effects.  He asked security personnel and NFIU staff to 
observe his packing so as to verify that no official files or 
information were inappropriately removed from the NFIU. 
 
COMMENT: WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE THE USG 
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 
¶9. (C) COMMENT.  Despite problems and issues within the NFIU 
(a USG FINCEN staffer assigned temporarily to the NFIU last 
year to provide capacity building, while the EFCC was under 
the leadership of Ribadu protege Ibrahim Lamorde, The USG 
FINCEN staffer left early citing lack of seriousness on the 
part of the institution overall).  The NFIU is in many ways 
the most important element of the EFCC.  Okauru was viewed by 
many as a behind-the-scenes technocrat who stayed out of the 
politics of the day.  The fact is that the EFCC and NFIU are 
so weak institutionally as to be completely dependent on the 
personalities of their leadership.  END COMMENT. 
 
¶10. This cable coordinated with Consulate Lagos. 
BLAIR