In a bid for the deletion of Nigeria’s exit from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list, the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), has used three of its anti-fraud units to arrest 1,088 fraud suspects, out of which 152 were convicted, all in 2024.
The security outfit added that it recovered over ₦142 billion and $11.45 million in the past year.
Listing the units that have made this possible in the Force to be the Special Anti-Fraud Unit (SFU), the National Cybercrime Centre, and the newly launched Anti-Money Laundering Unit.
According to a statement signed by the Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, all these decisive efforts are geared towards the eradication of money laundering and terrorism financing.
The statement highlighted the success of the National Cybercrime Centre, which has spearheaded efforts against digital financial crimes.
The Centre recorded the arrest of 751 suspects and recoveries totaling ₦8.8 billion, $84,000, and 115,237.91 USDT.
It added that the centre’s Operation Butterfly Net uncovered a massive laundering scheme involving over ₦11 billion from a cyberattack on Flutterwave, leading to the arrest of 179 individuals.
The statement claimed that in addition to these operational successes, the NPF has strengthened its investigative framework by establishing the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT) sections.
It added that over 2,000 officers have received specialised training in financial crime investigations, and quarterly AML/CFT reports submitted to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) have significantly improved Nigeria’s standing within the FATF regime.
