The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has uncovered 27 cells associated with the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) in 22 countries worldwide, including the United States of America and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
According to the NFIU, both the US and the UK host the largest numbers of these IPOB cells per country, with seven and six operating cells respectively.
This revelation emerged in a newsletter exposing the funding of terror activities in Nigeria by IPOB, bandits, and other terror groups through global crowdfunding and sports betting platforms.
The Federal Government designated IPOB a terrorist organization in 2017, and its leader, Nnamdi Kanu, currently faces terrorism charges.
The NFIU’s document, titled “Counter Terrorism Financial Newsletter,” links IPOB’s operations to 54 individuals globally.
The newsletter stated: “The NFIU confirmed that the diaspora affiliates of the IPOB group have spread over 22 countries across the globe. Further analysis exposed 27 entities across the globe registered in the name of the group, the US and the UK had the highest number of registrations, having seven and six registered entities, respectively.”
The analysis revealed that IPOB operates several bank accounts in different countries, receiving funds from various contributors, mainly Nigerians, with descriptions such as ‘Monthly Dues,’ ‘Services,’ and ‘for ESN’ (Eastern Security Network).
Additionally, the NFIU disclosed that a betting platform identified as ‘XC’ reported a Suspicious Transaction involving a 24-year-old Nigerian customer from North-Central Nigeria, who received over N350,000 in his betting wallet, believed to be ransom money from a kidnapping.
Another case exposed a terrorist attempting to evade detection by making structured cash withdrawals from different ATMs and purchasing flight tickets to high-risk areas using credit cards. Suspicious transfers exceeding €1,000 to a local charity with potential links to terrorism were detected, along with transactions for luxury goods and escort services, raising red flags.
