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US freezes assets of 8 Nigerians over alleged ties to Boko Haram, ISIL (FULL LIST)
The sanctions were announced on February 10, 2026, by the US Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) via the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List (SDN List).
The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians over alleged links to terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as involvement in cybercrime activities.
The sanctions were announced on February 10, 2026, by the US Department of the Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) as part of an update to the “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” (SDN List), a 3,000-page document identifying individuals and entities subject to US sanctions.
OFAC stated that the publication serves as formal notice of blocked property and interests, helping the public comply with counter-terrorism and other US sanctions programmes.
Among those designated are Salih Yusuf Adamu (aka Salihu Yusuf), linked to Boko Haram and previously convicted in 2022 in the UAE for attempting to transfer $782,000 to fund insurgents; Babestan Oluwole Ademulero (aka Wole A. Babestan), flagged under terrorism-related sanctions; and Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (aka Ba Idrisa), associated with Boko Haram. Others include Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (aka Habib Yusuf), Khaled Al-Barnawi (aka Abu Hafsat), Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki (aka Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki) linked to ISIL, and Nnamdi Orson Benson, designated under CYBER2 sanctions for cyber-enabled malicious activity.
Under the sanctions, all property and interests of the individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. The measures were issued pursuant to Executive Order 13224, targeting terrorism and its financing. Boko Haram, designated a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013, has carried out attacks across northern Nigeria and neighbouring countries, causing thousands of deaths since 2009.
The sanctions follow congressional recommendations for visa bans and asset freezes on certain Nigerians and organisations over alleged religious freedom violations, although names such as former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association were not included.
In October 2025, the US added Nigeria to its religious freedom watchlist, citing alleged persecution of Christians, a designation previously applied in 2020 and later rescinded.
The latest sanctions reflect Washington’s ongoing efforts to disrupt terrorist financing networks and counter cyber-enabled threats.
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