BOKO HARAM: FINANCIAL INTELLIGENCE UNIT BEAMS SEARCHLIGHT ON FOUR BANKS

Indications are rife that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit(NFIU) has beamed its searchlight on four Nigerian banks namely Standard Chartered bank, Skye bank, Unity bank and Keystone bank over the funding of terrorism activities by Islamic sects via Zakat and donations.
Speaking to a source in NFIU who rather will not want his name in print, these banks have links or ties with Islamic organisations and are therefore the first set of banks to be scrutinised by the NFIU. According to him, "if you recall, Standard Chartered bank was sanctioned in  money laundering activities with Iran in the United States of America ( USA ) recently.

"The banks were accused of leaving the United States "vulnerable to terrorists, weapon dealers, drug kingpins and corrupt regimes" by hiding $250bn of transactions with Iran ."
On Keystone and Unity banks, he said, "these are banks with Islamic links in their ownership and origin and we are not leaving any stone unturned in our investigations."
"So, with the recent suspicion of financial aids coming to the militant sect Boko Haram in Nigeria , we are definitely looking at the activities of these banks."
Responding via text message, Skye bank through its spokesman, Mr. Moses Obajemu stated that, "the process involved in cross border forex trade is complex. The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Financial Intelligence Unit(FIU), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation(NDIC) are all involved.
"None of them has found Skye bank wanting in its foreign exchange trade. Besides, we have no business relationship with terrorists."
Responding in similar vein, the spokesman of Standard Chartered bank, Mr. Diran Olojo refuted the claim that the bank was under the searchlight following its money laundering case with the Islamic Republic of Iran.
"It is absolutely false that we are being investigated by the NFIU, it is not true,"he said
Source; Nigerian News Direct