Hafsat Abubakar Bakari is the Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), appointed by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in February 2024.

A lawyer by training and a financial intelligence expert by career, Bakari is at the centre of Nigeria’s efforts to combat money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation financing and other financial crimes. As head of the NFIU, she leads the nation’s central agency responsible for receiving, analysing and disseminating financial intelligence to law enforcement, security and regulatory agencies.

Her appointment followed years of distinguished service within Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture. Prior to becoming CEO, she served as Deputy Director at the NFIU, where she played a central role in strengthening Nigeria’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing framework and in deepening the Unit’s engagement with domestic and international partners, including the Egmont Group of Financial Intelligence Units.

Before joining the NFIU, Bakari built her career at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where she held several strategic leadership positions, including Head of the General Services Unit, Head of the Strategy and Reorientation Unit, and Head of the Board Secretariat. In those capacities, she contributed to institutional policy, operational efficiency and corporate governance reforms.

An alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where she studied Law, Bakari combines legal expertise with practical experience in intelligence and compliance. Her leadership comes at a critical period when Nigeria is working to strengthen the integrity of its financial system, curb illicit financial flows and sustain reforms aimed at exiting the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) grey list.

Regarded as a thorough professional with a reputation for integrity and discretion, her elevation is widely seen as a merit-based appointment that reflects continuity, institutional memory and technical competence in a sensitive national security role.