FG Warns Landlords, Companies Against Providing Support to Terrorists, Threatens Prosecution

The Federal Government has warned landlords who rent out 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, a director in the Legal Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), issued the warning on Tuesday in Abuja during a press briefing on the recently concluded 11th phase of the trial of terrorism suspects.

Zakari explained that the law criminalises several activities linked to terrorism, including preparatory offences and the provision of material or financial support to terrorist organisations.

He said individuals found guilty of providing support to terrorism could face a minimum prison sentence of 20 years, while knowingly renting properties to terrorists was 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.

According to Zakari, the government’s counter-terrorism strategy goes beyond prosecuting individuals who directly carry out attacks to include those who provide assistance or create opportunities for terrorist activities.

He noted that activities such as providing financial support, renting properties to terrorists and hosting preparatory meetings with terrorist groups could attract criminal charges, even where no actual terrorist attack had occurred.

“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,” he stated.

The NSA official urged Nigerians, particularly journalists and other stakeholders, to familiarise themselves with the provisions of the law to understand the activities classified as terrorism-related offences.
Companies Face N200m Fine Over Terrorism Financing
Zakari also warned companies against receiving funds linked to terrorism, saying organisations could face severe legal consequences even if the money was not eventually used to carry out a terrorist attack.

He explained that a company convicted of receiving terrorist financing could be fined ₦200 million, while its principal officers could also face prosecution.

He added that the company itself could be wound up in accordance with the law.

“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.

Zakari encouraged journalists and other stakeholders to obtain copies of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act and study its relevant provisions.

He further disclosed that the government was strengthening its investigative capacity to identify and prosecute individuals and organisations involved in terrorism financing and other forms of support for terrorist groups.