The Director General of Kenya’s Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), Mr. Saitoti Kimerei Maika, has commended the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its strategic and consistent efforts in implementing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks in Nigeria.
By Chimezie Godfrey
The Director General of Kenya’s Financial Reporting Centre (FRC), Mr. Saitoti Kimerei Maika, has commended the Special Control Unit Against Money Laundering (SCUML) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its strategic and consistent efforts in implementing anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing frameworks in Nigeria.
Maika, represented by the Director of Legal Compliance and External Relations at Kenya’s FRC, Mr. James Manyonge, gave the commendation on Thursday, October 9, 2025, during a study visit to the SCUML office in Abuja.
He described SCUML’s resilience and innovation in enforcing the Anti-Money Laundering/Combating the Financing of Terrorism and Countering Proliferation Financing (AML/CFT/CPF) frameworks as exemplary, noting that his team came to Nigeria to understudy the country’s successful implementation model.
The frameworks referenced by Maika are in line with Nigeria’s Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Terrorism (Prevention) Act, 2022, both of which comply with international standards set by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).
Former Head of the Inter-Governmental Action Group against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA), Professor Abdullahi Shehu, lauded the visit as a testament to Nigeria’s regional leadership in anti-money laundering regulation.
Also speaking, the Divisional Head, Legal and Head of National Coordination Office of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), Mr. Chinedum Odenyi, said the Kenyan delegation’s visit focused on understanding how Nigeria unified its law enforcement agencies and coordinated its AML/CFT/CPF strategy, especially in efforts to exit the FATF Grey List.
Welcoming the delegation, the Director of SCUML, Deputy Commander of the EFCC (DCE) Harry Erin, who represented the Executive Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ola Olukoyede, emphasised that Nigeria would continue to share its experiences to strengthen continental cooperation.
He explained that SCUML, established under the EFCC, has evolved from a basic registration and compliance monitoring unit to a dynamic, risk-based supervisory body working closely with Self-Regulatory Bodies (SRBs), trade associations, and development partners to enhance compliance across high-risk sectors such as real estate, law, accounting, and precious metals trade.
During the visit, participants took lectures on Registration and Outreach, Compliance and Enforcement, Strategic Analysis, and Data Analysis, among others.