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By Philip Nwosu
The United States Government has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links with Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
The action was detailed in a 3,000-page document dated February 10 and released by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC). The document, sighted yesterday, 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 publication serves as official notice of individuals whose property and interests in property are blocked under US sanctions programmes.
“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, whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programmes administered by OFAC,” the agency stated.
Among those named is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, who was previously convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for setting up a Boko Haram fundraising cell. He was among six Nigerians found guilty of attempting to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria to support insurgent activities.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born in 1953, was also designated under terrorism-related sanctions. He appeared under multiple aliases in the document.
Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, and Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, identified as a Boko Haram leader, were similarly listed under terrorism provisions.
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Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in Maiduguri in 1976, was named under several aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman, and linked to Boko Haram activities.
Other individuals sanctioned include Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, reported to reside in Abu Dhabi; Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, identified as having ties to ISIL; and Nnamdi Orson Benson, who was listed under cybercrime-related sanctions.
The sanctions were imposed under Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and entities involved in terrorism and terrorist financing. Under the order, all property and interests in property of the designated persons within the US jurisdiction are blocked and US citizens and businesses are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. The development comes amid recent recommendations by members of the US Congress for visa bans and asset freezes against certain Nigerian individuals and groups over alleged violations of religious freedom.
The former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal, were among those reportedly recommended by US lawmakers for possible sanctions, although their names did not appear on the latest OFAC designation list.
The United States officially designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organisation in 2013, citing its involvement in deadly attacks across northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region.
In October 2025, President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would again be added to the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern over religious freedom issues.
Nigeria had first been placed on the list in 2020 during Trump’s earlier administration but was later removed by former President Joe Biden.
The latest sanctions underscore Washington’s continued efforts to curb terrorism financing, counter extremist networks and address cyber-related security threats.
