Tunji Disu, Inspector-General of Police (IGP), has directed police commands and formations across the country to immediately channel cases involving terrorism financing, banditry, crude oil theft and other financial crimes to specialised investigative units, as part of efforts to strengthen intelligence-led policing and dismantle criminal networks.

Disu said the directive was aimed at enhancing the Nigeria Police Force’s capacity to track illicit financial flows that sustain organised crime, stressing that following the money trail could significantly weaken criminal enterprises operating across the country.

The IGP gave the directive on Tuesday during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) at the Force Headquarters in Abuja.

He noted that the evolving nature of crime, driven by rapid cross-border movement of illicit funds, had made financial intelligence indispensable to modern policing.

“The dynamics of crime is changing daily everywhere in the world, and within seconds monies are moving over the continent.

“Monies that have to be laundered, monies that a lot of people want to clean by different deceits. Financial intelligence is a necessity,” Disu said.

He emphasised that stronger collaboration between the Nigeria Police Force and the NFIU would improve the country’s response to terrorism, banditry, crude oil theft and other organised crimes by targeting the financial structures that sustain them.

“We need to collaborate more and share intelligence because of the security situation we have in the country today—terrorism, banditry, and even in cases of theft of crude.

“Following their proceeds will assist in bringing down the crime to nothing less than 50 per cent,” he said.

He added: “Following the money, a lot of their crimes will be solved, so we need to collaborate. We need to continue to see ourselves as symbiotic twins.”

Disu also announced that the Force had established a dedicated Proceeds of Crime Section, headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police with extensive experience in financial crime investigations.

According to him, the specialised unit has been created to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing investigations within the Force.

“We have directed all our officers to direct cases they discover that have to do with terror, banditry, and where monies have been circulated to teams that are specialised in handling it.

“The Force has established the Proceeds of Crime Section, and this is headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police with vast experience and expertise in financial crime to strengthen anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing,” he said.

Disu said the creation and operationalisation of the section had significantly improved the Force’s role within Nigeria’s anti-money laundering framework.

“The establishment and operationalisation of the section have enhanced the visibility and relevance of the Force within the Nigerian anti-money laundering architecture,” he added.

The police chief also appealed to the NFIU to expand training opportunities for police personnel in financial intelligence, asset tracing and the tracking of illicit financial transactions.

“Let us share intelligence. Let us train together. When training comes your way, we plead, give us some slots, especially training that has to do with the movement of money around.

“We are sure 50 per cent of this crime can be solved by just following the money,” he said.

Earlier, Hafsat Bakari, Chief Executive Officer of the NFIU, described the Nigeria Police Force as a strategic partner in the country’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing architecture.

She said financial intelligence had become a critical tool in investigating crimes ranging from terrorism financing and kidnapping to cybercrime, corruption, human trafficking, narcotics trafficking, illegal mining, arms trafficking and organised crime.

“Financial intelligence has increasingly become the thread that connects criminal conduct to those who profit from it.

“In this regard, the collaboration between the NFIU and the Nigerian Police Force remains essential to ensuring that criminals are not only arrested but deprived of the financial resources that sustain their operations,” Bakari said.

She commended the Police Force for its contribution to Nigeria’s removal from the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list and urged sustained collaboration as the country prepares for its 2027 mutual evaluation.

“The future of law enforcement is intelligence-driven. Criminals today have financial footprints long before they leave physical evidence,” she said.

Bakari assured the Police of the NFIU’s continued support through intelligence sharing, strategic analysis, operational assistance and capacity building to strengthen Nigeria’s fight against financial crimes and terrorism financing.