The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has begun training 100 government officials ahead of Nigeria’s third-round assessment of its anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures.
The five-day training, which started on October 12 in Abuja, is organised by the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), with support from SecFIN Africa.
In a statement on Wednesday, NFIU Chief Executive Officer Hafsat Bakari said the programme aims to prepare members of the country’s Mutual Evaluation Working Groups for a national mock assessment scheduled for November.
Speaking at the training, Bakari said the exercise would help Nigeria demonstrate the effectiveness of its laws and institutions in tackling financial crimes.
She said the programme builds on Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list in October 2025.
“Nigeria must be ready to not only explain its laws, policies and institutional arrangements, but also to demonstrate the results they deliver,” she said.
Agencies Participate in NFIU Training
The training brings together representatives from key government institutions, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Police Force, Federal Ministry of Justice, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Nigeria Customs Service.
Other participating institutions include the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nigerian Revenue Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency and Department of State Services.
Participants will receive training on financial intelligence, regulatory supervision, virtual assets, beneficial ownership, investigations and prosecutions, asset confiscation, international cooperation and proliferation financing risks.
According to Bakari, practical exercises and simulated assessment interviews will prepare participants to provide assessors with accurate information and verifiable evidence of the implementation of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing measures.
She added that Nigeria had increased the number of its accredited global experts on FATF standards from fewer than 10 to 25 over the past two years.
Bakari said further training sessions involving between 100 and 150 participants were planned quarterly, with a possible extension to the private sector.
She noted that the current programme also builds on a national stocktake and gap analysis coordinated by the NFIU through the Inter-Ministerial Committee, with contributions from relevant government agencies.
GIABA, SecFIN Africa Stress National Coordination
Giwa Siman Sechap, director of evaluations and compliance at the GIABA secretariat, said countries undergoing mutual evaluations must demonstrate both compliance with technical standards and the effectiveness of their systems.
“Mutual evaluation is a collective national responsibility,” Sechap said.
Shehu Abdullahi, SecFIN Africa’s country representative, also stressed the need for institutions to share reliable information and coordinate their efforts to ensure effective preparation for the assessment.
