The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has accused politicians in the country of attempting to apply unnecessary pressure to get information about their activities.
The NFIU spokesperson, Ahmed Dikko made this known in a statement on Wednesday.
Naija News reports the NFIU is the central national agency responsible for the receipt of disclosures from reporting organizations, the analysis of these disclosures, and the production of intelligence for dissemination to competent authorities.
The NFIU is an autonomous unit, domiciled within the Central Bank of Nigeria and the central coordinating body for the country’s Anti-Money Laundering, Counter-Terrorist Financing and Counter-Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) framework.
Dikko however stated that its information is classified and can only be made available based on certain guidelines only.
He clarified that the agency does not release information “for administrative, civil and business reasons or requests”.
The spokesperson added that “We had to appropriately enlighten all calibre of officers in this category to know that Intelligence Institutions of government are generally apolitical, operating within fixed and tailored mandate,” he said.
“The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit is also an agency created at the heart of global best practice to support crime analysis and intelligence building locally and internationally.
“For future and records, our laws and standards permit us to share information with Law enforcement, Regulatory, Defence and Security and corresponding agencies in over 170 countries who are also co-owners and co-controllers of Intelligence and compliance processes at all FIUs.
“Equally we will always respond to any attempt or an inkling of it to bring or introduce or incline local and international politics to our operations.
“FIUs are also consistently reviewed mutually.
“So even for our staff, there are repeated warnings. Influence peddling or mediocrity can substitute professional conduct or personal character. Any Officer, whose conducts do not meet FIU best practices will always be responded to within the law.”
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has accused the former Senate President Bukola Saraki of hindering the agency from probing him.
EFCC counsel, Chile Okoronkwo, made this known to Justice Anwuli Chikere of the Federal High Court, Abuja on Wednesday when the fundamental rights enforcement suits filed by the former Senate President were mentioned in the court.
This article was originally published on Nigeria News