The United States (US) has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links to Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The action was detailed in a February 10 document released by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), titled “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.”
The publication serves as official notice of individuals and entities whose property and interests are blocked under US sanctions programmes.
According to OFAC, the sanctions are designed to prevent financial transactions involving those designated and to disrupt terrorism financing networks and cyber-related threats.
Individuals listed
Among those sanctioned is Salih Yusuf Adamu (also known as Salihu Yusuf), born August 23, 1990. He was previously convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 alongside five others for establishing a Boko Haram cell in Dubai to raise and transfer approximately $782,000 to insurgents in Nigeria.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was designated under terrorism-related sanctions. He reportedly used multiple aliases.
Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (also known as Ba Idrisa), believed to have been born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State, was flagged under terrorism provisions.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (also referred to as Habib Yusuf), identified as a Boko Haram leader, was also sanctioned.
Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, was listed under several aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, reportedly residing in Abu Dhabi, was also linked to Boko Haram and designated.
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, was listed under cyber-related sanctions.
The sanctions come amid renewed scrutiny in Washington over security and religious freedom concerns in Nigeria.
Some US lawmakers have recently recommended visa bans and asset freezes against certain Nigerian political figures and groups, including former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal.
Under Executive Order 13224, individuals designated for terrorism-related activities face asset freezes, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
The US government officially designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013. According to the US State Department, the group has carried out deadly attacks in northern and northeastern Nigeria, as well as in parts of the Lake Chad Basin.
In October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be placed on the US State Department’s “Countries of Particular Concern” watchlist over allegations of religious freedom violations. Nigeria had previously been designated under the same category in 2020 before being removed in 2021.
The latest OFAC action underscores Washington’s continued focus on countering terrorism financing and cyber threats linked to Nigeria and the wider region.
