Our Reporter
The United States has imposed fresh sanctions on eight Nigerians accused of terrorism financing, links to extremist groups, and cybercrime, freezing any assets or property they may have under US jurisdiction.
The designations were published by the United States Department of the Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in a February 10 update to its “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” (SDN List), a comprehensive sanctions register used globally by banks and financial institutions to screen transactions.
Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property belonging to the named individuals within the United States — or in the possession of US persons — are blocked. US citizens and companies are also generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
The move comes amid heightened scrutiny in Washington over religious freedom concerns and security conditions in Nigeria, following recent recommendations by some US lawmakers for visa bans and asset freezes on certain Nigerian figures and groups.
The former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso; the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria; and Miyetti Allah Kautal were recommended by United States lawmakers for visa bans and asset freezes.
Nigerians Named in the Sanctions List
Among those listed by OFAC are individuals alleged to have ties to the extremist group Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as one individual designated under cybercrime-related sanctions.
They include:
- Salih Yusuf Adamu (also known as Salihu Yusuf) – Born August 23, 1990. Identified as having ties to Boko Haram. He was previously among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for attempting to raise and transfer funds — reportedly $782,000 — to support insurgents in Nigeria.
- Babestan Oluwole Ademulero – Born March 4, 1953. Listed under terrorism-related sanctions, with multiple aliases including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
- Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (also known as Ba Idrisa) – Reportedly born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State. Flagged under terrorism sanctions.
- Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (also referred to as Habib Yusuf) – Identified as a Boko Haram leader, with varying reported birth years between 1990 and 1995.
- Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi – Born in 1976 in Maiduguri. Linked to Boko Haram and listed under several aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.
- Ibrahim Ali Alhassan – Born January 31, 1981. Reportedly resident in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and linked to Boko Haram.
- Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki (also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki) – Born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State. Identified as having ties to ISIL.
- Nnamdi Orson Benson – Born March 21, 1987. Listed under the CYBER2 sanctions programme, which targets cyber-enabled criminal activity.
OFAC stated that the publication serves as formal notice of actions taken against individuals whose property and interests are blocked as part of counter-terrorism and national security efforts.
What the Sanctions Mean
The designations were made under Executive Order 13224, a key US counter-terrorism authority that allows the government to target individuals and entities providing support to terrorist organisations.
In practical terms:
- Any assets held in US financial institutions are frozen.
- US persons are barred from conducting transactions with the listed individuals.
- Global banks that transact in US dollars may also restrict dealings to avoid secondary sanctions risks.
The SDN List is widely used in international compliance screening, meaning the impact can extend beyond the United States, affecting travel, cross-border payments and access to financial systems.
US Terrorism Designations and Nigeria
The United States officially designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2013. According to the US State Department, the group has been responsible for thousands of deaths across northeastern Nigeria and in parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger within the Lake Chad Basin since its insurgency escalated in 2009.
Over the years, Washington has used sanctions as a tool to disrupt terrorism financing networks and international support channels linked to extremist groups operating in West Africa.
The latest sanctions also come against a backdrop of renewed debate in the US Congress over Nigeria’s religious freedom record. In 2020, under then-President Donald Trump, Nigeria was designated a “Country of Particular Concern” over religious freedom issues. The designation was later removed in 2021 under President Joe Biden.
In October 2025, Trump announced that Nigeria would again be added to a religious freedom watchlist, citing allegations of persecution of Christians — a claim Nigerian authorities have previously disputed.
A Broader Crackdown on Terror Financing and Cyber Threats
Security analysts say the latest action underscores Washington’s continued focus on tracking financial flows linked to extremist networks and cyber-enabled crime.
By targeting named individuals rather than broad sectors, the US Treasury aims to disrupt funding pipelines while signalling to international financial institutions the importance of compliance vigilance.
For Nigeria, the development highlights the persistent global scrutiny of its security landscape — and the continued intersection of terrorism, transnational finance and cybercrime in an increasingly interconnected world.