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The federal government has warned landlords who rent their properties to terrorists, and individuals who host preparatory meetings with terrorist groups, that they risk prosecution under the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
Mijinyawa Zakari, director in the legal office of the national security adviser, said the law criminalises several activities linked to terrorism, including preparatory offences and providing support to terrorist groups.
Zakari spoke at a press briefing on Tuesday in Abuja on the recently concluded 11th phase of trial of terrorism suspects.
He said providing support to terrorism attracts a minimum of 20 years’ imprisonment, while renting property to terrorists is also a prosecutable offence.
“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 urged Nigerians, particularly journalists and other stakeholders, to familiarise themselves with the law to understand the range of activities classified as terrorism-related offences.
He also warned companies against receiving funds linked to terrorism, saying they could face severe sanctions whether or not the money was eventually used to commit an offence.
“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.
“What I would encourage you to do is get a copy of the TPPA 2022 and go through those sections. You will understand the strategy better. This is helpful to both the media and all stakeholders.
“For example, a company that receives terrorist financing, whether or not that money is used for the offence, will be charged a fine of N200 million. The principals will be prosecuted, and that company could be wound up.”
He added that government is strengthening its investigative capacity to ensure that more individuals and organisations involved in terrorism financing and other forms of support are brought to justice.
