The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, NFIU, has warned politicians and top government officials against requesting information from the agency.
Recall that the unit recently dismissed two top officials for profiling and initiating probe of a former vice president, Atiku Abubakar and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, without the authorisation of the Director/CEO, Modibbo Tukur.
Insiders told DAILY NIGERIAN that the agency was recently inundated with secret requests from some top government officials and politicians about their opponents financial records.
The source said the credibility of the agency is at stake in the eyes of international community if it resorts to acceding to such demands.
A statement by the spokesman for the agency, Ahmed Dikko, said the NFIU is “forced to react to attempts to introduce politics, illegal pressure on and inordinate requests for information from the NFIU.
“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.
“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.
“Additionally and categorically we do not release information for administrative, civil and business reasons or requests.
“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.”
