The United Kingdom has warned intending Nigerian students not to engage in money laundering and other crimes.
UK authorities issued the warning in a letter to the Nigerian Ministry of Education on Friday.
The warning follows a disclosure by the UK’s National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) that international students’ bank accounts are being used as conduits for money laundering in the UK, spokesman for the federal ministry of education, Ben Gooong, said in a statement.
The NECC said students are usually targeted through social media platforms for the use of their accounts for third party funds transfer, usually for a fee.
The UK warns that students caught in such transfer would be prosecuted and have their studies terminated.
It also said it discovered and froze 95 bank accounts, mostly belonging to international students, with over €3 million deposited in 2019 alone.
”While pledging to strengthen its fight against money laundering this year, the government disclosed that it discovered and froze 95 bank accounts, mostly belonging to international students,” the statement said.
The UK government said its resolve to take more concrete steps against the activities of money launderers is prompted by its plan to reintroduce a post-study work visa for international graduate students in 2020 which is expected to increase the number of international students, including Nigerians.
