FINANCIAL crimes offenders will not go unpunished under the present administration, the Federal Government said on Friday.
The government insisted that offenders would pay the price for their crimes.
The Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in a statement signed by the Deputy Director in the interior ministry, Mr. Afonja Ajibola, said the resolve of the government to fight the two economic evils was not a mere pronouncement.
He identified financial crimes militating against national economic development including money laundering and terrorism financing.
He, therefore, pledged the unflinching commitment of the Federal Government to fighting the menace with all seriousness and tenacity of purpose.
The Minister made the remarks in Abuja at the inauguration of a 10-member Inter-Ministerial Committee, set up to implement the adoption and implementation of the assigned roles to the Ministry of Interior, on the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) implementation roadmap adopted by the Federal Government.
The Minister linked the security challenges facing the country to activities of economic saboteurs who indulge in illegal financial dealings to the detriment of the country, asserting that a great deal of the problems come from them.
“Let me reiterate the Federal Government’s unflinching commitment to the eradication of money laundering, financing of terrorism, and related corrupt practices. This has made us willing and an active partner with other African and indeed global partners in this advocacy and fight,” Aregbesola said.
According to Ogbeni Aregbesola, “some of the security challenges we face at the moment could be resolved if the financial lifeline of the actors are cut off. That some of them are still in business suggests strongly that they have strong internal or external financial linkages.”