On March 5, 2025, the African Centre for Governance, Asset Recovery & Sustainable Development (African Centre) hosted a One-Day Sensitization Workshop on Anti-Money Laundering (AML), Combating the Financing of Terrorism (CFT), and Countering Proliferation Financing (CPF) Risk Assessment for the Judiciary. Held at the National Judicial Institute (NJI) in Abuja, the event aimed to enhance the capacity of judicial officers in handling financial crime cases effectively, ensuring alignment with international best practices.
The workshop was timely, as Nigeria continues its efforts to exit the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Grey List. Strengthening the judiciary’s role in enforcing AML/CFT laws is crucial to meeting global standards, reinforcing legal frameworks, and ensuring the effective prosecution of financial crimes. The event brought together 120 Justices from the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, and Chief Judges of State High and Federal High Courts.
In her keynote address, the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Hon. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, underscored the judiciary’s responsibility in combating financial crimes. She emphasized the need for collaboration between the judiciary, legal practitioners, law enforcement agencies, and financial regulators to create a unified and effective response to illicit financial activities. She further highlighted the importance of continuous judicial training to ensure consistency in interpreting financial crime laws in line with international standards
The workshop featured expert-led discussions addressing key issues such as AML/CFT risk assessments in the legal sector, the judiciary’s role in financial crime investigations, and corruption and money laundering risk assessment frameworks. Speakers included Prof. Ernest Ojukwu, SAN, Co-Chairman of the NBA Anti-Money Laundering Committee; Felix Obiamulu, General Counsel of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU); and Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu, Founder of the African Centre.
Justice Salisu Garba Abdullahi, Administrator of NJI, welcomed participants and emphasized the judiciary’s pivotal role in strengthening Nigeria’s financial crime response. He called for a critical evaluation of sanctions applied against offenders to ensure they are effective, proportionate, and dissuasive.
Institutional leaders, including representatives from the EFCC, ICPC, NFIU, and the British High Commission, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the judiciary in the fight against financial crime. The discussions underscored the need for enhanced judicial integrity, strengthened compliance measures, and improved collaboration between key stakeholders to curb illicit financial flows.
Professor Ernest Ojukwu, SAN, representing the Nigerian Bar Association’s Anti-Money Laundering Committee, highlighted the role of legal practitioners as gatekeepers in preventing financial crimes. He stressed the necessity of strong compliance measures to safeguard Nigeria’s financial system
The Founder of the African Centre, Juliet Ibekaku-Nwagwu during her presentation proposed a framework for the conduct of a corruption and money laundering risk assessment for the judiciary. Key objectives of the risk assessments include: to develop an evidenced -based approach to understanding the roles of the judiciary in the combat of money laundering and corruption; Provide a self-based report on how the judiciary is combating corruption ; develop a risk survey based on responses from judicial officers from selected courts across the country. She noted that the benefits of the assessment would increase public confidence, develop the risk assessment skills of the NJI, develop a report that is evidence based and use the report for engagement with the public, media and international organizations.
The African Centre remains dedicated to fostering partnerships that promote financial integrity, strengthen governance structures, and drive sustainable development. This workshop reinforced the judiciary’s crucial role in ensuring effective AML/CFT enforcement and set the stage for continued reforms in Nigeria’s financial crime framework.
Through collaboration and capacity building, we move towards a more transparent and accountable society.
