The United States government froze the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links to Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in sanctions detailed in a 3,000 page document dated February 10 and released by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The document titled the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List) contains the names of individuals and entities subject to US sanctions. According to the report, some of the affected individuals were designated for terrorism related activities while others were cited for alleged involvement in cybercrime and related security threats.
The development follows recommendations by the US Congress for visa bans and asset freezes on individuals and groups accused of violating religious freedom and persecuting Christians in Nigeria. US President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern in October 2025 over religious freedom concerns, marking the second time after the country was first placed on the list in 2020 before its removal under former President Joe Biden.
Under Executive Order 13224, those listed face asset freezes and financial restrictions within US jurisdiction. OFAC stated that the publication is designed as a reference tool providing actual notice of actions with respect to Specially Designated Nationals and other persons whose property is blocked to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programs administered by OFAC.
Among those sanctioned is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. He was identified as having links to Boko Haram and was among six Nigerians convicted in 2022 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for establishing a Boko Haram cell to raise funds for insurgents in Nigeria. The group was found guilty of attempting to transfer 782,000 dollars from Dubai to Nigeria.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was also listed under terrorism related sanctions. He was identified under multiple aliases including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Also designated 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 related sanctions.
Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf, was identified as a Boko Haram leader and listed with varying birth years between 1990 and 1995. He was sanctioned under terrorism provisions according to OFAC documentation.
Khaled Al-Barnawi, whose name appeared twice in the document, was born in 1976 in Maiduguri. He was listed under several aliases including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman and linked to Boko Haram activities.
Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, and reportedly residing in Abu Dhabi, UAE, was also linked to Boko Haram. He was identified as holding a Nigerian passport according to the sanctions documentation.
Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State, was designated for alleged ties to ISIL. He represents one of the individuals sanctioned specifically for connections to the Islamic State rather than Boko Haram.
Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was designated under CYBER2 sanctions for alleged cybercrime related offences and was reported to hold a Nigerian passport. The CYBER2 designation targets individuals involved in significant malicious cyber enabled activities.
The sanctions mean that any assets belonging to the named individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked and US persons are generally prohibited from conducting transactions with them. All property and interests in property of the listed individuals are frozen under the counter terrorism and cybercrime sanctions regimes.
The United States officially designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) in 2013 citing its involvement in numerous deadly attacks in Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region. According to the US State Department, the group has carried out attacks in northern and northeastern Nigeria as well as in parts of Cameroon, Chad and Niger within the Lake Chad Basin resulting in thousands of deaths since 2009.
US lawmakers have recommended visa bans and asset freezes against former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore over alleged links to extremist activities and violations of religious freedom. However, their names did not appear on the February 10 OFAC sanctions list according to multiple reports.
The Miyetti Allah organizations have been accused of involvement in farmer herder conflicts and attacks on Christian communities in Nigeria’s Middle Belt region. The recommended sanctions reflect growing US congressional concern about religious freedom violations in Nigeria.
The latest OFAC designation underscores Washington’s continued focus on countering terrorism financing and cyber threats emanating from or connected to Nigeria. The comprehensive nature of the sanctions demonstrates coordination between US intelligence agencies, the Treasury Department and international law enforcement partners.
Boko Haram has waged an insurgency in northeastern Nigeria since 2009 with an estimated 350,000 people killed directly or indirectly by the conflict according to United Nations assessments. The group has pledged allegiance to ISIL and operates across Nigeria’s Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states as well as neighboring countries.
The insurgency has displaced millions of Nigerians and created a humanitarian crisis across the Lake Chad Basin region. International efforts to combat the group have involved military operations by the Multinational Joint Task Force comprising troops from Nigeria, Niger, Chad and Cameroon.
The inclusion of cybercrime sanctions alongside terrorism designations reflects evolving threats from Nigerian based actors involved in financial fraud, business email compromise schemes and other malicious cyber activities targeting US businesses and individuals. US authorities have increasingly coordinated sanctions and law enforcement actions against both terrorism financiers and cyber criminals operating from Nigeria.
The Biden administration removed Nigeria from the Countries of Particular Concern list in November 2021, citing improved conditions. However, Trump’s October 2025 redesignation reflected Republican administration concerns about ongoing violence against Christians in northern and central Nigeria.
Religious freedom advocates have documented attacks on churches and Christian communities particularly in states experiencing farmer herder conflicts and in areas affected by Boko Haram operations. Nigeria’s Christian population is concentrated in the southern and middle belt regions while the predominantly Muslim north has experienced the most intense insurgent violence.
The designation as a Country of Particular Concern does not automatically trigger sanctions but signals heightened US government scrutiny of religious freedom conditions and can influence bilateral relations, development assistance and security cooperation decisions.
Nigerian authorities have not issued official responses to the latest OFAC sanctions. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other Nigerian security agencies have previously cooperated with US authorities on terrorism financing investigations.
