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The Federal Government has warned landlords, companies and individuals who provide accommodation, funding or other forms of support to terrorists that they risk prosecution under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
The warning was issued by Mijinyawa Zakari, a director in the legal office of the National Security Adviser, during a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday.
Zakari said the law criminalises several activities linked to terrorism, including providing financial support, renting properties to terrorist groups and holding preparatory meetings with them.
He spoke while briefing journalists on the recently concluded 11th phase of the trial of terrorism suspects.
According to him, individuals who provide support to terrorism face a minimum prison sentence of 20 years, while landlords who knowingly rent their properties to terrorists can also be prosecuted.
“A careful reading of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, will indicate that Sections 11 to 33 provide for a wide range of offences, including preparatory offences,” he said.
“The strategy is to ensure that there is dominance across all fields. When you talk about collaborators, you deal with what the investigation has revealed.
“For example, providing support to terrorism attracts a minimum sentence of 20 years. Renting your property to a terrorist is also an offence.
“You may not have a clear-cut act of terrorism or a harmful act, but all those actions, including holding a preparatory meeting with a terrorist group, constitute offences.”
Zakari also warned companies against receiving funds linked to terrorism, saying they could face heavy financial penalties and other legal consequences, even if the money was not eventually used to carry out an attack.
He said a company found guilty of receiving terrorist financing could be fined ₦200 million, while those responsible could face prosecution. The company could also be wound up.
“That is why there is a need for increased awareness of what constitutes a terrorist offence in Nigeria. Reading those sections will really help us,” he said.
He urged journalists and other stakeholders to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the law to understand the range of activities that constitute terrorism-related offences.
Zakari added that the government was strengthening its investigative capacity to identify and prosecute individuals and organisations involved in terrorism financing and other forms of support.
