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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) has issued a strong disclaimer rejecting a fraudulent circular recently posted on the website of cryptocurrency platform BNBEX.
The circular falsely claimed that the NFIU is conducting a compliance review of all transactions involving Nigerian users on BNBEX under a so-called “Nigerian Financial Surveillance Regulation.”
Head of the NFIU’s Strategic Communications Department, Sani Tukur, in a statement said the Unit clarified that it neither authored nor authorised the document, which is entirely disconnected from any of its current regulatory or compliance activities.
“The circular was not issued by the NFIU and bears no connection whatsoever to any of the Unit’s current regulatory or compliance initiatives,” the statement read.
The Unit further exposed the circular’s references as baseless, stating, “The Nigerian Financial Surveillance Regulation referenced in the circular is non-existent and has no basis in Nigerian law or regulatory frameworks.”
It also highlighted that the logo and insignia used in the circular are counterfeit, and the purported office location at the Central Business District, Abuja, is false. The NFIU’s only official address remains No. 1 Monrovia Street, Wuse II, Abuja.
He stressed the importance of relying on official sources, saying, “We strongly dissociate ourselves from the claims made in the circular and urge members of the public to rely only on official NFIU channels for accurate and legitimate information.”
The NFIU also clarified that it has no affiliation with BNBEX and has not validated any of its operations, warning that such misinformation could mislead the public and undermine Nigeria’s efforts to combat financial crimes.
The Unit invited anyone seeking clarification or wishing to report suspicious information purportedly from the NFIU to contact its Strategic Communications Department via [email protected].
This development comes amid Nigeria’s ongoing efforts to strengthen its anti-money laundering (AML) framework, which has recently received commendation from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) for significant progress in regulatory enforcement and technology adoption to combat financial crimes effectively.
