EU removes Nigeria from high-risk financial crime list – NFIU
By Ahmed Ahmed
Nigeria has recorded a significant international breakthrough in its fight against money laundering, terrorist financing and proliferation financing, following its official removal from the European Union’s list of high-risk third countries under the EU Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AMChiefL/CFT) framework.
The development was disclosed in a statement signed by the Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Hafsat Abubakar Bakari.
According to the statement, the decision is contained in the European Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) C (2025) 8460, adopted on December 4, 2025, in line with updates issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) after its October 2025 Plenary.
The regulation, which takes effect from January 29, 2026, also confirms the removal of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mozambique, South Africa and Tanzania from the EU’s high-risk list.
These countries were delisted after successfully exiting the FATF list of Jurisdictions under Increased Monitoring, having addressed identified strategic deficiencies in their AML/CFT frameworks.
The European Commission acknowledged that Nigeria and the other delisted countries strengthened the effectiveness of their AML/CFT regimes, closed critical technical and operational gaps, and fulfilled commitments outlined in their respective FATF Action Plans.
These efforts led to their removal from the FATF grey list in June and October 2025.Nigeria’s removal from the EU list reflects what stakeholders describe as strong political will and leadership under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, whose administration prioritised financial system integrity, inter-agency coordination and compliance with international standards.
The achievement was also attributed to sustained collaboration among the National Assembly, law enforcement agencies, regulators, supervisors, the judiciary, the private sector and development partners.
The NFIU CEO Hafsat Bakari described the decision as a significant validation of Nigeria’s reform efforts. She noted that the delisting demonstrates how consistent reforms, effective coordination and strong national ownership can yield tangible international outcomes.
The removal means financial transactions between Nigeria and the European Union will no longer be subject to enhanced due diligence requirements associated with high-risk jurisdictions.
Experts say this is expected to ease compliance burdens, support smoother cross-border financial flows and boost Nigeria’s attractiveness for trade, investment and financial partnerships with EU member states.Beyond the immediate economic gains,
The NFIU said the development strengthens international confidence in Nigeria’s financial system and reinforces the country’s standing as a responsible participant in the global financial architecture.
The agency reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining reforms and deepening the effectiveness of Nigeria’s AML/CFT/CPF framework in collaboration with domestic and international partners.
