US Treasury Department
US freezes assets of eight Nigerians over Boko Haram, ISIL links
The United States government has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links with Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The over 3,000-page document released by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) also listed individuals sanctioned for cybercrime-related offences and other security threats.
According to OFAC, the publication serves as a reference tool providing notice of actions taken against specially designated nationals (SDNs) whose property and interests have been blocked.
“This publication of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control, OFAC, is designed as a reference tool providing actual notice of actions by OFAC with respect to Specially Designated Nationals and other persons (which term includes both individuals and entities) whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programmes administered by OFAC,” the agency said.
Among those listed is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born on August 23, 1990, in Nigeria. Yusuf was identified as having ties to Boko Haram and was among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for setting up a Boko Haram cell to raise funds for fighters in Nigeria. The six men were found guilty of attempting to send $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born on March 4, 1953, in Nigeria, was also designated under terrorism sanctions and listed under multiple aliases.
Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, was flagged under terrorism-related sanctions and was reported to have been born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf, was identified as a Boko Haram leader and sanctioned under terrorism provisions.
Khaled, also spelt Khalid, Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, was linked to Boko Haram and listed under several aliases.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, in Nigeria, and reported to reside in Abu Dhabi, was also 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, was identified as having ties to ISIL.
Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, in Nigeria, was listed under cyber-related sanctions.
The sanctions mean that all property and interests of the individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, while US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. The asset freeze was imposed under Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and entities linked to terrorism.
The United States designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013. According to the US State Department, the group has carried out attacks in northern and northeastern Nigeria, as well as in parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger within the Lake Chad Basin, resulting in thousands of deaths since 2009.
The latest action follows recent recommendations by members of the US Congress calling for visa bans and asset freezes on certain Nigerian individuals and groups over alleged violations of religious freedom. Among those reportedly recommended for sanctions were former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore. However, their names did not appear on the February 10 OFAC sanctions list.
In October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would be added to the US State Department’s religious freedom watchlist, alleging persecution of Christians. Nigeria was first designated a “Country of Particular Concern” in 2020 under President Trump. The designation was later removed by his successor, Joe Biden, shortly after he assumed office.
US law provides for the designation of countries found to have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism under provisions including Section 1754(c) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2019, Section 40 of the Arms Export Control Act, and Section 620A of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.
The latest sanctions underscore Washington’s continued focus on disrupting terrorism financing networks and combating cyber-enabled threats.
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