Tax offenses and fraud emerged as the biggest financial crime concerns in Nigeria in 2025, accounting for 51% of intelligence reports shared with law enforcement and regulatory agencies, according to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.
The disclosure was contained in the NFIU’s 2025 Annual Report, which highlighted growing efforts to track suspicious financial activities and strengthen Nigeria’s financial system.
The agency said it issued 1,398 proactive intelligence reports and 2,033 reactive reports during the year. Tax crimes accounted for 30% of reports across the top 10 offenses, while fraud represented 21%.
The News Chronicle reports that money laundering accounted for 15%, followed by narcotics offenses at 10%. Bribery and corruption, as well as terrorism and terrorist financing, each represented 8%.
The NFIU said fraud risks are increasingly linked to Ponzi schemes, fraudulent crowdfunding, cryptocurrency investment scams and hacking-related activities.
In addition, banks and other reporting entities filed 42,082 suspicious transaction reports in 2025, with deposit money banks accounting for 38,715
The report comes as Nigerian authorities step up efforts to target illicit financial flows, money laundering and terrorism financing.
The NFIU continues to advise against carrying more than $10,000 in cash when traveling abroad as a measure to check illicit financial flows.
