The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, has urged the Oyo State Government to enact a law providing for the registration, monitoring and supervision of non-profit organisations (NPOs) operating in the state to prevent their misuse for terrorism financing.
Olukoyede said the legislation would ensure that NPOs comply with appropriate regulatory requirements and operate under effective monitoring mechanisms, thereby preventing the sector from being used as a conduit for financing terrorist activities in Oyo State and Nigeria at large.
He made the call through the Lagos Zonal Coordinator of the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the EFCC and Team Lead of the 2026 National Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment delegation for the NPO sector in South-West Nigeria, Assistant Commander of EFCC, ACE I Ibinabo Amachree.
Amachree spoke during a three-day risk assessment exercise which commenced on Tuesday, September 1, 2026, in Ibadan.
The exercise focused on data collection and interactive engagements with Oyo State ministries, departments and agencies, security agencies and non-governmental organisations, with emphasis on threats, vulnerabilities and unintended consequences within the NPO sector.
Olukoyede stressed the urgent need for stringent registration, monitoring and supervision of NPO activities to prevent humanitarian aid and donations from being diverted to terrorism financing.
He noted that recent kidnapping incidents across the South-West had made the risk assessment exercise particularly important in addressing emerging security threats in the region.
While commending the Oyo State Government, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Oyo State Command, Usman Biu, and the representative of the General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Brigadier General M.I. Falana, for their support, the EFCC chairman urged NPOs to continue complementing government efforts in providing essential social amenities, humanitarian assistance, healthcare services and support for vulnerable populations.
He also encouraged NPOs to take advantage of the sensitisation programme to strengthen measures that would protect their activities and resources from being diverted towards terrorism financing.
Olukoyede assured stakeholders of the EFCC’s continued support in the fight against terrorism financing.
In his remarks, Oyo State Acting Governor, Barrister Bayo Lawal, represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Professor Musibau Babatunde, pledged the state’s continued support for the EFCC and other agencies participating in the national terrorism financing risk assessment.
Babatunde said terrorist elements were increasingly exploiting crowdfunding, humanitarian interventions and informal financial channels to raise and move funds.
He assured that the administration of Governor Seyi Makinde would take necessary measures to ensure that NPOs were not exploited for terrorism financing in the state.
The Oyo State DSS Director, Usman Biu, also pledged continued collaboration with the Oyo State Ministry of Women Affairs, which is responsible for engaging with NPOs in the state.
Biu disclosed that lists of registered NGOs forwarded to the DSS are profiled, vetted and cleared before they commence operations, in line with the agency’s mandate.
Similarly, the GOC, 2 Division Nigerian Army, General Auwalu Mahnuda, represented by Brigadier General M.I. Falana, commended the EFCC for recognising that the fight against terrorism financing required the collaboration of multiple stakeholders.
Falana said the Nigerian military would continue to provide adequate and timely information sharing to help expose terrorism financing activities in Oyo State and across the country.
The assessment exercise concluded in Ibadan on Thursday, September 3, 2026, with NPOs from Oyo, Osun and Lagos states converging for sensitisation on compliance with existing policies guiding their operations and the need to maintain public trust in legitimate charitable activities.
The EFCC said the exercise demonstrated the Federal Government’s commitment to risk-based supervision and Nigeria’s resolve to remain aligned with international standards in combating terrorism financing.
The 2026 National Terrorism Financing Risk Assessment team comprised representatives of the EFCC, international and local non-governmental organisations, as well as state and federal ministries, departments and agencies across the country.
