General News
Senate seeks swift prosecution of money launderers, terrorist financiers
…Moves against public servants with unexplained sources of wealth
The Senate has considered two critical bills seeking to facilitate the swift prosecution of money launderers and terrorist financiers in Nigeria.
The bills when passed into law would also provide the needed framework for the prosecution of public servants with unexplained sources of wealth.
The bills are Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2021, and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2021.
Both bills which scaled second reading during plenary were sponsored by Senator Suleiman Umar (APC, Kwara North) and Suleiman Abdu Kwari (APC, Kaduna North).
Leading debate on the general principles of the first bill, Senator Umar explained that the legislation seeks to repeal the extant Act and enact the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2021 to provide a more comprehensive legal and institutional framework for the prevention and prohibition of money laundering in Nigeria.
According to the lawmaker, the bill takes into consideration the changing patterns and manifestation of Money Laundering as an offense, which includes investment or funds transfer made or obtained fraudulently into legitimate businesses to make the illicit funds difficult to trace.
He explained further that the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention (UN-ODCCP) (1999) describes Money Laundering as the concealment or disguising of the true nature, source, location, disposition, movement rights with respect to or ownership of property, knowing that such property is derived from an offense.
He, therefore, added that the bill when enacted, would provide the framework for the prosecution of public servants with unexplained sources of wealth.
Umar said, “Mr. President, my Distinguished Colleagues, many public servants who are entrusted with managing public funds for the benefit of the larger society are often accused of creating phantom companies, over-pricing of contracts, use of fronts to pay for contracts not executed or poorly executed while others have been accused of carting away huge sums of public funds and stashing it in foreign bank accounts.
“It is against this background that successive administrations paid attention to the prevention, prohibition and punishment of money launderers.”
The lawmaker gave some of the earliest legislations introduced in Nigeria to tackle the menace of money laundering to include: the Money Laundering (Exchange Control (Anti Sabotage) Decree No.7 1984; the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Decree No. 48 of 1989 (now CAP 29 Law of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004; the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2003; and the Money Laundering Decree No.3 of 1995.
He noted that the defects and inadequacies of previous legislations on Money laundering led to a series of legislative reforms which culminated into the enactment of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act, 2011.
He said the Bill under consideration however seeks to repeal and enact to make provisions for a comprehensive and effective anti-money laundering legislation, taking into consideration the changing patterns and techniques now being employed by money launderers in today’s global village driven by technological advancement.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Smart Adeyemi (APC, Kogi West), who threw his weight in support of the bill, said the legislation when enacted, would allow government probe those who have held public offices with unexplained sources of monies and properties within and outside the country.
He added that the present administration has tackled the issue of corruption headlong more that previous governments in the history of Nigeria.
“There is no doubt that this government, more than any government in the history of our country has taken the crusade against money laundering and corruption as a task that must be achieved.
“Mr. President, there is no doubt that billions of dollars and pounds abroad have been siphoned from our system to foreign nations, especially by those who have held political offices in the past.
“In seconding this bill, Mr. President, I want to say we must equally look at how we can enlarge the net of exposing and arresting those who have siphoned money out of this country.
“This bill must take into consideration, public holders and their immediate families who have properties abroad, to give account of how they acquired these properties.
“In this country, many people who have held public office in times past, what they have done is to siphoned monies abroad to buy properties in the names of their wives and children.
“I want to submit, Mr. President, that there is need to do an x-ray of all who have held public office in Nigeria, to look at how they acquired their properties, and their children and immediate families. That is when we can be seen to be fighting corruption.
“Anybody who has held public in times past, should be ready to give account.
“Our country is bleeding, there is no job, people are dying of poverty. I support this bill”, Adeyemi said.
The Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill, 2021, and Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) (Repeal & Re-enactment) Bill, 2021, after consideration were both referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes for further input.
The Committee which chaired by Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, was given four weeks to report back to the upper chamber.
At a solemn ordination service in Abuja, senior church leaders have called on pastors to make the well-being of their congregations a top priority, following the example of Jesus Christ.
Speaking during the priesthood ordination and installation of a Sub Dean at the Cathedral Church of Advent, Life Camp, Abuja, the retired Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Okene, Rt. Rev. Emmanuel Ajulo, described pastors as shepherds charged with the care of their flock. He urged them to shun worldly distractions and focus on meeting the spiritual and material needs of their members.
Bishop Ajulo also encouraged the newly ordained priests to remain faithful to their calling by teaching God’s word without compromise.
In his charge, the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Henry Ndukuba, urged the new clergy to preach the undiluted gospel and foster religious harmony wherever they serve. He expressed confidence that their new roles would help promote peace and unity in society.
The service also featured prayers for national leaders and divine intervention in addressing the current global economic challenges.
In a dramatic show of faith and patriotism, over 1,000 fiery prayer warriors from across Nigeria will descend on Ilorin, Kwara State, this Saturday, lifting their voices in intense intercession for President Bola Tinubu’s success and Nigeria’s survival in the face of biting economic woes and mounting insecurity.
The spiritual siege, themed “Walking in Domini”, is the maiden convention of the Organisation of African Instituted Churches (OAIC), with its Kwara State Chairman, Evangelist Thomas Adeboye, vowing that “heaven will hear and respond to Nigeria’s cry.”
Aside from marathon prayers, the gathering will roll out free medical outreach to locals across Kwara’s LGAs, a gesture aimed at touching both body and soul.
Adeboye, lamenting Nigeria’s “troubling economic and security realities”, called for a nationwide prayer uprising, insisting that Tinubu has shown the will to revive the nation but needs massive divine backing to succeed.
“Banditry, a collapsing economy, and political tension demand we seek God’s face like never before,” he declared. “We will storm heaven for wisdom for the President and governors to steer Nigeria to safety.”
The convention will also feature awards to distinguished personalities, soul-lifting worship, fiery sermons, and unity-driven lectures—all capped with thunderous prayers for Nigeria’s redemption.
Adeboye urged the President to ensure every policy has “a human face,” stressing that Nigerians must not only endure but also enjoy the fruits of governance.
With the OAIC promising to reaffirm believers’ authority in Christ and rally spiritual boldness in the face of national challenges, Ilorin is set to become the epicentre of a powerful spiritual warfare for Nigeria’s destiny.
…Church leaders accuse Welsh counterparts of “spiritual decadence” and “abandonment of faith”
The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) has issued a forceful condemnation of the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann, an openly lesbian cleric, as the Archbishop of Wales. The move is the latest in a series of developments that have deepened divisions within the global Anglican Communion over sexuality and doctrine.
In a statement from Primate The Most Rev’d Henry Ndukuba, the church denounced the election as a “serious departure from biblical teaching” and a sign of “spiritual decadence” and “an outright abandonment of the faith once delivered to the saints.”
Archbishop Ndukuba warned that Bishop Vann’s elevation compromises the Anglican Church’s global mission and could obstruct evangelism. He compared the situation to the controversial tenure of Most Rev. Katherine Jefferts Schori, former Presiding Bishop of the U.S. Episcopal Church, who also faced intense criticism from conservative Anglicans for her progressive views.
The Primate accused Bishop Vann of being complicit in the “ongoing crisis” around same-sex issues, stating that the election is a “clear revelation that many who claim to be members of the body of Christ cannot endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:3–4).
The Church of Nigeria called on Anglicans worldwide to reject “rebels” and “apostates” and to instead support conservative bodies like the Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON).
“The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) condemns, unequivocally rejects, and will not recognize the election of Rt. Rev. Cherry Vann as Archbishop of Wales,” Ndukuba declared. He concluded with a solemn warning that without repentance, the Church in Wales risks losing “complete relevance” and its leaders will face judgment.
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