The United States government has frozen the assets of eight Nigerian nationals over alleged connections to extremist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The action was detailed in a 3,000-page document released on February 10 by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The publication also lists individuals sanctioned for cybercrime and other security-related offences. It follows recent recommendations by U.S. lawmakers calling for visa bans and asset freezes on persons accused of religious persecution and violations of freedom of worship in Nigeria.
Among those recommendations were proposed sanctions against former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, over alleged links to extremist activities.
The recommendations appeared in OFAC’s updated Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List, which identifies individuals and organisations whose assets are blocked under U.S. sanctions programmes, particularly those connected to terrorism financing and international security threats. OFAC noted that the list serves as a compliance tool to notify the public of individuals whose property and financial interests are restricted.
One of the Nigerians named is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. OFAC linked him to Boko Haram financing networks. He was among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for establishing a Boko Haram funding cell that allegedly attempted to move about $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Another listed individual is Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, who was designated under SDNTK terrorism sanctions and identified under several aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Others sanctioned for alleged links to Boko Haram or ISIL include Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (Ba Idrisa), Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (Habib Yusuf), Khaled (Khalid) Al-Barnawi, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki. Many were reportedly born in Maiduguri or other parts of Borno State and were designated under terrorism-related executive orders.
In addition, Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was listed under CYBER2 sanctions for cyber-related offences and identified as a Nigerian passport holder.
Under the sanctions, all property and financial interests belonging to the listed individuals within U.S. jurisdiction are frozen, and U.S. citizens and institutions are barred from conducting transactions with them. The measures fall under Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals involved in terrorism.
The United States designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013. According to the U.S. State Department, the group has carried out numerous deadly attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin since 2009.
In October 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be placed on the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern, citing alleged violations of religious freedom. Nigeria was first placed on the list in 2020 under Trump but was removed by President Joe Biden shortly after taking office.
