Federal Government Declares Simon Ekpa, 16 Others as Terrorism Financiers — Orders Immediate Freeze of Their Accounts

Federal Government Declares Simon Ekpa, 16 Others as Terrorism Financiers — Orders Immediate Freeze of Their Accounts

The Federal Government of Nigeria has officially declared Simon Ekpa, a prominent Biafra agitator, alongside 16 other individuals and entities, as financiers of terrorism. This designation comes following a meeting of the Nigerian Sanctions Committee (NSC) held in Abuja on Thursday.

The NSC, chaired by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, is tasked with implementing United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) related to financial sanctions on individuals and groups linked to terrorism and violent extremism.

As part of the new directive, all financial institutions operating in Nigeria have been ordered to immediately freeze all accounts, funds, assets, and economic resources belonging to the designated individuals and entities. The financial bodies must do this without prior warning to the account holders and immediately report their actions to the NSC Secretariat.

In addition, the institutions have been instructed to file detailed Suspicious Transaction Reports (STR) with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to aid further investigations into the flow of funds connected to the accused