By Emmanuel Nduka Obisue
The United States Government has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians over alleged ties to terrorism financing and cybercrime, freezing any assets or properties linked to them within US jurisdiction.
The action was announced in a 3,000-page document dated February 10 and released by the United States Department of the Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The publication forms part of the agency’s updated “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,” which identifies individuals and entities subject to sanctions.
According to OFAC, the sanctions target persons accused of links to Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as individuals implicated in cybercrime and other security threats.
The move follows recent recommendations by members of the United States Congress advocating visa bans and asset freezes against certain Nigerians and groups accused of religious persecution and violations of freedom of worship. Among those reportedly recommended for possible sanctions were former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
Among the eight Nigerians named in the OFAC document is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. He was identified as having links to Boko Haram. Yusuf was among six Nigerians convicted in 2022 in the United Arab Emirates for establishing a Boko Haram cell in Dubai to raise funds for insurgents in Nigeria. The group was found guilty of attempting to transfer $782,000 to support terrorist activities.
Another individual, Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was designated under terrorism-related sanctions. He reportedly operated under several aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Also sanctioned was Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, reportedly born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State. He was flagged under terrorism provisions.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf, was listed with varying birth years between 1990 and 1995. He has been identified as a Boko Haram leader and was sanctioned under counter-terrorism authorities.
Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, appeared twice in the publication under multiple aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman, for alleged ties to Boko Haram.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, and reportedly residing in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, was also linked to the extremist group.
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 connections to ISIL.
In addition, Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was designated under cyber-related sanctions, specifically under the CYBER2 programme.
OFAC stated that the publication serves as official notice of actions taken to block the property and interests of Specially Designated Nationals. Under the sanctions, all property and financial interests belonging to the listed individuals within US jurisdiction are frozen. US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
The sanctions against the Nigerian nationals were imposed pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and entities linked to terrorism.
The US formally designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013. According to the United States Department of State, the group has carried out deadly attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria, as well as in parts of Cameroon, Chad, and Niger within the Lake Chad Basin since 2009.
Under US law, countries found to have repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism may be designated under statutes such as 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.
Heritage Times HT recalls that in October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be placed on the State Department’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern” over allegations of religious persecution. Nigeria was first designated under the category in 2020 during Trump’s administration but was later removed from the list by his successor, Joe Biden.
