The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians, freezing their assets and properties over alleged links to Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), as well as involvement in cybercrime-related offences.
The sanctions were disclosed in a 3,000-page document dated February 10, released by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), which provides a detailed list of individuals and entities whose property is blocked under various counter-terrorism and security programmes.
The development followed recommendations from the US Congress urging visa bans and asset freezes on persons and groups accused of persecuting Christians and violating religious freedoms in Nigeria.
The recommendations had specifically mentioned former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and Miyetti Allah Kautal.
OFAC said the sanctions are intended to prevent financial dealings with designated individuals and entities, describing the publication as a reference tool to assist the public in complying with US sanctions programmes.
Among those sanctioned is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born on August 23, 1990.
He was one of six Nigerians convicted in 2022 in the United Arab Emirates for establishing a Boko Haram cell to raise funds for insurgents, attempting to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Other Nigerians listed include Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, known by multiple aliases, and Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, reportedly a Boko Haram affiliate from Maiduguri, Borno State. Abu Musab Al-Barnawi and Khaled Al-Barnawi, also Boko Haram leaders, were similarly designated.
Further names include Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, residing in Abu Dhabi, and Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, linked to ISIL. Nnamdi Orson Benson was designated under cybercrime-related sanctions.
The sanctions mean that all property and interests of the listed individuals within the US are blocked, and American citizens are prohibited from conducting transactions with them. The affected Nigerians are subject to asset freezes under Executive Order 13224.
Boko Haram was officially designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States in 2013.
The group is blamed for countless attacks in northern and northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin region, killing thousands since 2009.
The US Secretary of State periodically identifies countries that repeatedly support acts of international terrorism.
Such nations are designated under several US laws, including the National Defense Authorization Act and the Foreign Assistance Act.
In October 2025, President Donald Trump announced that Nigeria would be added to the US Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” citing reports of persecution and killings of Christians in the country. Nigeria had previously been on the list in 2020 but was removed by President Joe Biden shortly after taking office.