VZCZCXYZ0009
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHUJA #0676 1110949
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 210949Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABUJA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5791
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
INFO RUEHOS/AMCONSUL LAGOS 1164

UNCLAS ABUJA 000676 
 
SIPDIS 
 
TREASURY TFFC FOR KLEAHY, MROSEN, ALARSON 
STATE FOR EEB/ESC/TFS LRECHT, NEA CARVIS, INL/AAE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR KTFN EFIN ETTC PHUM EAID PTER NI IZ
SUBJECT: TERRORISM FINANCE: COUNTERING TERRORIST ABUSE OF THE 
CHARITABLE SECTOR. 
 
REF: STATE 005834 
 
¶1. Post, in response to reftel, submitted a Non- Paper document to 
the relevant offices within the host government, Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs, Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), the Special 
Control Unit against Money Laundering (SCUML) and relevant National 
Assembly Senate and House of Representative Committees overseeing 
these agencies. 
 
¶2. Host government responses from the Nigeria Financial Intelligence 
Unit (NFIU) and the Special Control Unit against Money Laundering 
(SCUML) indicate that there are efforts by the Nigerian Government 
to put in place legislative and institutional frameworks to 
regulate, monitor and supervise entities considered vulnerable to 
manipulation for Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing. The 
Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), established in 2005, 
derives its powers from the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act of 
2004 and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act (EFCC) of 
¶2004. Housed within the EFCC, it is the central agency for the 
collection, analysis and dissemination of information on money 
laundering and terrorist financing. The Money Laundering Act of 2004 
also gives powers to the Minister of Commerce and Industry to issue 
operating guidelines to Designated Non-Financial Institutions 
(DNFI's) including Non-Profit Organizations (NPO). NFIU and SCUML 
both have the mandate to conduct regular Anti-Money Laundering and 
Counter-Terrorist Financing (AML/CFT) sensitization and inspection 
of financial institutions and businesses and professions so 
designated. While NFIU has made major in roads in getting financial 
institutions to comply with reporting requirements, SCUML admits it 
still has a step learning curve in collaboration with other 
regulators to effectively monitor and control the largely amorphous 
DNFI sectors particularly NPOs. 
 
¶3. NFIU and SCUML welcomed the encouragement of the USG as contained 
in the Non-Paper and welcomed any assistance from the USG. 
 
¶4. NFIU/SCUML are working in line with international best practices 
to implement Nigeria's AML/CFT regime. To achieve this, NFIU/SCUML 
works with the Banks and Other agencies to track financial 
transactions and DNFI's Advisory Council of Self Regulatory 
Organizations respectively which makes input to work out Nigeria's 
AML/CFT regime. Both agencies are adhering to the FATF Special 
Recommendation VIII, by sensitizing all stakeholders through the 
Inter-Ministerial Committee to prevent terrorist organizations from 
abusing Non-Profit Organizations (NPO's) to perpetrate their "evil" 
crimes. 
 
¶5. NFIU/SCUML indicated that they look forward to further assistance 
from USG on fighting terrorism financing in Nigeria. 
SANDERS