The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has instructed banks and other financial institutions to accept relevant refugees’ means of identification for financial transactions.
The apex bank particularly said Machine Readable Convention Travel Document issued by Nigeria Immigration Service; and the Refugee Identify Card issued by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons should be accepted.
The CBN gave this directive in a circular entitled ‘Acceptance of Machine Readable Convention Travel Document and refugee identification card as means of identification’ on Wednesday.
The circular read, “The attention of the Central Bank of Nigeria has been drawn to challenges encountered by refugees and asylums seekers in Nigeria with regards to means of identification with respect to the conduct of financial transactions.
“To address these concerns, all banks and other financial institutions are referred to the provisions of the CBN AML/CFT Regulation, 2013 (as amended) on customer due diligence, especially Regulations 40 and Regulations 80, and to note that the MRCTD issued by the Nigeria Immigration Service; and the Refugee Identify Card issued by the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons are adequate as means of identification for banking transactions.
“Banks and other financial institutions are also required to continue to ensure that effective customer due diligence policies and procedures are implemented to combat money laundering, financing of terrorist and proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”
