Federal Government Announces Categories of People Landlords Should Not Rent Houses to
- The National Security Adviser's Legal Office issued the warning during a press briefing on the concluded 11th phase of terrorism suspect trials in Abuja
- The Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, criminalises a broad range of activities including hosting preparatory meetings with terrorist groups
- Companies found guilty of receiving terrorist financing could face a N200 million fine and risk being wound up under the law
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Legit.ng journalist Ridwan Adeola Yusuf has over four years of experience covering security issues and counterinsurgency in Nigeria and across Africa.
FCT, Abuja - The Federal Government has put landlords on notice that renting property to known terrorists is a criminal offence that could land them in prison, alongside a broader warning that anyone who facilitates terrorist activities in any form faces prosecution.
As reported by Vanguard, Mijinyawa Zakari, a director in the Legal Office of the National Security Adviser, delivered the warning on Tuesday, November 3, in Abuja at a press briefing held after the conclusion of the 11th phase of terrorism suspect trials.
Source: Facebook
Zakari told journalists that the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, covers far more than direct acts of violence. He pointed to Sections 11 to 33 of the law, which he said set out a wide range of terrorism-related offences, including preparatory acts committed before any attack takes place.
The Punch quoted Zakari as saying:
"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."
Source: Facebook
FG threatens N200m terrorism funding fine
Zakari extended the warning to businesses, cautioning that any company found to have received funds linked to terrorism could face a fine of N200 million. Beyond the financial penalty, the principal officers of such a company could face individual prosecution and the company itself could be wound up, regardless of whether the money was ever used to carry out an attack.
He said the President Bola Tinubu-led government's approach was deliberately broad, targeting not only those who carry out acts of terrorism but also the networks of individuals and organisations that make such acts possible.
"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," Zakari said.
He urged Nigerians, particularly journalists and civil society stakeholders, to obtain and read copies of the Act so they could better understand what activities the law classifies as terrorism-related offences. He said greater public awareness of the law was essential to supporting the government's counter-terrorism efforts.
Zakari added that the government was working to strengthen its investigative capacity so that more individuals and organisations involved in financing or otherwise supporting terrorism would be brought before the courts.
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Terrorists kidnap, kill 106 health workers
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that armed groups, criminal kidnappers, and terrorists abducted 91 health workers and killed 15 others across 101 separate attacks on Nigerian healthcare facilities between 2023 and 2025, according to a new international report.
The figures come from the 'Care in the Crosshairs: Violence Against Health Care in Conflict 2025' report, published by the Safeguarding Health in Conflict Coalition. The data was compiled using Insecurity Insight's global monitoring system and covers incidents across the three-year window.
Source: Legit.ng
