The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit has said some politicians and senior government officials are pressurising its staff to divulge classified information.
The agency explained that laws and standards of Nigeria only permit it to share information with enforcement, regulatory, defence and security and corresponding agencies in over 170 countries.
In a statement on Wednesday, by NFIU Chief Media Analyst, Ahmed Dikko, titled, ‘Public notice and advisory to politicians and senior government officials,’ the unit noted that it shares information with the countries because they are also co-owners and co-controllers of intelligence and compliance processes at all Financial Intelligence Units.
He said, “We are forced to react to attempts to introduce politics, illegal pressure on and inordinate requests for information from the NFIU. We had to appropriately enlighten all calibre of officers in this category to know that intelligence institutions of government are generally apolitical, operating within a fixed and tailored mandate. The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit is also an agency created at the heart of global best practice to support crime analysis and intelligence building locally and internationally.”