By Aliyu Lawal
Niger State Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening cooperation and partnership with relevant institutions in the fight against terrorism financing.
Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Abubakar Usman stated this when he received a delegation from the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on a visit in Minna.
Alhaji Abubakar Usman expressed optimism that the visit by the EFCC team would contribute significantly to the efforts aimed at identifying and addressing vulnerabilities that could be exploited for terrorism financing in the State.
He assured the delegation of the preparedness of his office towards facilitating the smooth discharge of their official duties, particularly in engaging relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the State to achieve the desired objective.
The secretary to the state hovernment while emphasised the importance of collaboration among government institutions and relevant stakeholders in tackling emerging security and financial threats.
Earlier, leader of the delegation and Assistant Commander of the EFCC Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering, Mr. Tope Erinnomo, explained that the purpose of the visit was to conduct a terrorism financing risk assessment to ascertain the impact and vulnerabilities associated with terrorism financing on Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs) .
He said the team will interface with relevant MDAs in the State, including the State Planning Commission and Niger State Emergency Management Agency among others.
Editing By Godwin Duru
