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.
The statement followed the reported sacking of two senior NFIU officials for allegedly carrying out an unauthorised probe of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu.
Dikko cautioned the concerned persons to desist from putting illegal pressure on the unit and stop inordinate requests for information.
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.”
