Federal Government has begun the profiling of about 100 non-governmental organisations, with the aim of de-registering those of them that have “deviated” from their mandate.

According to government, the profiling was necessary in view of emerging threat of “non-profit organisations” being used as “veritable tools to launder money and finance terrorism” in Nigeria and other West African countries.

Director of Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, Francis Usani, spoke at the opening ceremony of the Inter-Governmental Action Group Against Money Laundering in West Africa’s (also known as GIABA) three-day ‘regional workshop on the development of effective frameworks and structure to fight money laundering and terrorist financing through non-profit organisation’.

Usani, who doubles as the GIABA National Correspondent for Nigeria, said the profiling and other measures recommended by the FATF to tackle terrorist financing was in line with international best practices and not meant to stifle NGOs’ operations nor put them out of business.

He said he had received a list of “about 100 NPOs” to be profiled, also said in an interview with journalists that those who failed the test would probably be de-registered.

GIABA styled after the global body, the Financial Action Task Force, was established by the Economic Community of West African States in 2000 to help in strengthening the capacity of the 18 member states towards the prevention and control of money laundering and terrorist financing in the region.