NFIU Discovers IPOB Cells in UK and US, Exposes $160,000 Payments

The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has uncovered a network of 27 cells affiliated with the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) across 22 countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom.

According to NFIU reports, both the US and the UK harbor the largest number of IPOB cells per country, with seven and six respectively.

This revelation came to light in a newsletter detailing the funding of terrorist activities in Nigeria by IPOB, bandits, and other extremist groups, facilitated through global crowdfunding and sports betting platforms.

Since the Nigerian government proscribed IPOB in 2017 and labeled it a terrorist organization, its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, has been facing terrorism charges.

The NFIU’s “Counter Terrorism Financial Newsletter” identified 54 individuals globally linked to IPOB’s operations. It disclosed that IPOB operates several bank accounts worldwide, receiving funds under various pretexts like “Monthly Dues” and “Services” before deploying them for operations.

The investigation revealed that IPOB received over $160,000, funneling it to transmission, media, and broadcasting companies in Bulgaria, South Africa, and the United Kingdom.

Furthermore, the NFIU flagged suspicious transactions, including a 24-year-old Nigerian from North-Central Nigeria who received significant amounts in his betting account, believed to be ransom money from a kidnapping.

In another case, a terrorist attempted to avoid detection by making structured cash withdrawals and purchasing flight tickets to high-risk areas using credit cards. Suspicious transfers exceeding €1,000 to a local charity with potential links to terrorism were also noted.

The NFIU urged law enforcement agencies to scrutinize transactions by individuals associated with known terrorists, unauthorized tax collections, and forced donations in terrorism-prone areas, among other suspicious activities.