Washington has imposed tough sanctions on eight Nigerians accused of having ties to Boko Haram, ISIL and international cybercrime networks, freezing their assets and blocking financial dealings within U.S. jurisdiction.
The sanctions, published in a 3,000-page document dated February 10 by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), placed the individuals on the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List,” a powerful blacklist that effectively cuts them off from the American financial system.
According to OFAC, the list serves as official notice to the public and financial institutions worldwide.
“This publication of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control 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 named is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. U.S. authorities linked him to Boko Haram.
He was among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for setting up a Boko Haram fundraising cell and attempting to move $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was designated under SDNTK sanctions and listed under 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, over alleged terrorism links.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf, was identified as a Boko Haram leader and sanctioned under terrorism provisions.
Khaled Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, appeared twice on the list and was linked to Boko Haram under 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.
Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State, was flagged for alleged ties to ISIL.
Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was listed under CYBER2 sanctions for cybercrime-related offences.
The sanctions mean all property and interests belonging to the listed individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are blocked. U.S. citizens and businesses are generally barred from engaging in transactions with them.
The move comes amid renewed pressure from U.S. lawmakers calling for visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and groups accused of religious persecution in Nigeria.
It also follows fresh debates in Washington over Nigeria’s security challenges and counterterrorism cooperation.
The United States designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, citing its deadly campaign across northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin, where thousands have been killed since 2009.
