𝗘𝗙𝗖𝗖, 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘀 𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵-𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝗧𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗺 𝗙𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗥𝗶𝘀𝗸𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗡𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝗦𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗿

 

By: Harriet Ijeomah 

Non-profit organisations operating in Nigeria’s South-East have joined an ongoing national assessment aimed at determining how charities, civil society and development organisations could be vulnerable to terrorist financing and how such risks can be prevented without disrupting legitimate humanitarian work.

The consultation, held in Owerri on September 3, 2026, was organised by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, in collaboration with Spaces for Change. It brought together Non-Profit Organisations (NPOs), government representatives and other stakeholders to gather evidence for Nigeria’s ongoing Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment of the NPO sector.

The assessment is part of Nigeria’s second national review of terrorism-financing risks within the sector, which commenced in March 2026. The exercise follows an earlier assessment conducted in 2021 and published in 2022, which examined the level of exposure of different categories of non-profit organisations to possible terrorist-financing abuse.

At the centre of the new exercise is the need to identify where genuine vulnerabilities exist. The assessment is expected to examine funding patterns, organisational structures, field operations, due-diligence procedures and existing safeguards. It will also document gaps that could allow criminals or terrorist actors to exploit an organisation, its resources or its operations.

The process is connected to Recommendation 8 of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the intergovernmental body that sets global standards for combating money laundering, terrorist financing and related financial crimes. The recommendation requires countries to identify the specific parts of their NPO sectors that are vulnerable to terrorist-financing abuse and apply targeted, proportionate measures to address those risks.

Speaking at the consultation, Victoria Ibezim-Ohaeri, Executive Director of Spaces for Change, said the exercise was not designed to create fear among non-profit organisations or portray them as sources of terrorism financing.

Rather, she said, the assessment would help organisations understand the risks around them and take appropriate steps to protect themselves.

“The essence of this programme is not to scare NPOs,” Mrs Ibezim-Ohaeri said. “It is to help us understand the terrorism-financing risk assessment process, the National Risk Assessment and the risks that may exist within the NPO sector.”

She said consultations were being conducted across the country because risks and operational realities differ from one region to another. Evidence gathered from organisations working in different locations, she explained, would help the country develop a more accurate picture of the sector.

Mrs Ibezim-Ohaeri warned that terrorist actors understand and can exploit institutional vulnerabilities. Such actors, she said, may create entities that appear legitimate or take advantage of weaknesses in genuine organisations to move funds, access resources or support terrorist activities.

The assessment team involves relevant government agencies and stakeholders, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and other institutions involved in Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework.

Leading the assessment team, Korede Abdul-Aziz urged the participants to approach the exercise openly and share information about the realities of their organisations.

Shee said the process was designed to expose possible gaps before they could be exploited, stressing that ignorance of legal and regulatory obligations would not excuse an organisation from responsibility.

Participants discussed documented funding patterns, vulnerabilities and institutional safeguards. The session also examined current due-diligence practices, gaps in internal systems, risks associated with field operations and possible mitigation measures.

Fidelis Akpoagu, an Assistant Director at the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, urged NPOs to ensure that their organisations are properly registered and operate within the requirements of relevant regulatory authorities.

He also called for stronger coordination among NPOs, including the development of functional networks that could improve information sharing and help address cases of organisations or individuals misrepresenting themselves as legitimate development or humanitarian institutions.

Mr Akpoagu said the ministry was considering improved data systems for the sector, including an online database that could provide more reliable information about registered organisations, their areas of operation and thematic focus.

Such a system, he said, could support planning and coordination while helping funders and government institutions better understand the development landscape and identify areas where interventions are concentrated.

For Peace Dike, Executive Director of Virgin Heart Foundation, the consultation provided a clearer understanding of risks that organisations may overlook while carrying out legitimate development work.

She described the programme as an eye-opener and said the discussions had helped participants understand how weaknesses in organisational processes, funding procedures and due diligence could expose an NPO to risks associated with terrorist financing.

Another participant, Nelson Nnanna Nwafor, Executive Director of the Foundation for Environmental Rights, Advocacy and Development (FENRAD Nigeria), said the engagement was particularly important for grassroots organisations that may not have the technical capacity to fully understand emerging financial and operational risks.

“Many organisations are focused on delivering their programmes and solving problems in their communities,” Mr Nwafor said. “But this engagement reminds us that good intentions alone are not enough. An organisation must also understand its funding sources, maintain proper records and strengthen its internal processes.”

He added that an organisation could be engaged in legitimate development work but still become vulnerable where there are weaknesses in documentation, due diligence or monitoring of how funds and resources move.

Other members of the assessment and stakeholder team at the meeting included Hiddayatu Damji of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Abuja; Abidemi Olukowaji of the International Fertilizer Development Center, Abuja; Nnenna Enyinnaya-Eneremadu, Executive Director of CARA Development Foundation; Uzoamaka Promise, Zonal Coordinator of the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering; Muhammed Ibrahim; and Okechukwu Nwanguma, Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre.

The South-East consultation is expected to feed into the wider national assessment and help authorities and the non-profit sector understand the specific risks facing organisations across the country.

For Nigeria's development and humanitarian sector, the challenge is not only to prevent the diversion of resources for criminal purposes but also to ensure that measures introduced to tackle terrorism financing do not unnecessarily restrict legitimate organisations working with vulnerable communities.