The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians over alleged links to Boko Haram, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and cybercrime, freezing their assets and blocking financial transactions under US jurisdiction.
The action was announced in a February 10 publication by the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in its updated Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, a 3,000-page document detailing individuals and entities subject to sanctions. OFAC said the publication serves as official notice of actions taken against designated persons whose properties and interests are blocked as part of counter-terrorism efforts and to prevent financial dealings with them by US persons.
The move comes amid recent recommendations by members of the United States Congress for visa bans and asset freezes against individuals and groups accused of religious freedom violations and persecution of Christians in Nigeria. Those reportedly recommended include former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and Miyetti Allah Kautal.
Among the Nigerians listed is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. He was convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 alongside five others for establishing a Boko Haram cell in Dubai and attempting to transfer $782,000 to insurgents in Nigeria. Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was designated under terrorism sanctions and reportedly operated under multiple aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Also sanctioned is Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, believed to have been born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State, and flagged under terrorism-related measures. Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf and identified as a Boko Haram leader born between 1990 and 1995, was similarly designated. Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri and known by aliases including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman, was listed in connection with Boko Haram activities.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, and reportedly resident in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was named over alleged Boko Haram ties. 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 links to ISIL. Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was designated under cybercrime-related sanctions.
The measures were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and entities involved in terrorism. Under the sanctions, all property and interests of the named individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
The United States designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2013. According to the United States Department of State, the group has carried out numerous attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin since 2009, resulting in thousands of deaths.
In October 2025, President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be placed on the US religious freedom watchlist as a “Country of Particular Concern,” alleging persecution of Christians. Nigeria was first designated under Trump in 2020 but was later removed from the list by former President Joe Biden after he assumed office. The latest sanctions underscore
Washington’s continued focus on disrupting terrorism financing networks and countering cyber-related threats.
