US Sanctions Eight Nigerians Over Boko Haram, ISIL and Cybercrime Links
The United States government has taken decisive action to freeze the assets of eight Nigerian individuals accused of links to extremist organisations and cyber-enabled criminal activities, in a move aimed at disrupting terror financing networks and safeguarding global financial systems. The designations were published on February 10, 2026, by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in an updated “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List” extending over 3,000 pages.
Under Executive Order 13224, the sanctions block all property and interests in property of the listed individuals that are within U.S. jurisdiction, and generally prohibit U.S. persons and entities from engaging in financial transactions with them. According to OFAC, the publication provides formal notice to the global financial system and assists in enforcing compliance with U.S. sanctions programmes.
Several of the eight Nigerians named are alleged to have affiliations with the extremist group Boko Haram, which has been designated a foreign terrorist organisation by the United States since 2013 due to its deadly insurgency in northern Nigeria and the wider Lake Chad Basin. Another individual on the list is linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), while one is accused of cybercrime-related offences.
Among the individuals named is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, who was reportedly convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 along with others for attempting to transfer US$782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria to support Boko Haram insurgents. Also included are Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, identified by U.S. authorities as a Boko Haram leader, and Khaled Al-Barnawi, linked to Boko Haram activities. Other designees include Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, likewise flagged for terrorism-related connections.
One of the sanctioned individuals, Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad Al-Mainuki, is associated with ISIL, while Nnamdi Orson Benson is designated under provisions targeting cyber-enabled malicious activity. Babestan Oluwole Ademulero also appears on the list, identified under counter-terrorism sanctions. U.S. authorities say these designations aim to cut off access to international financial networks and reduce the ability of terror and cybercrime suspects to move funds or conduct illicit transactions.
The sanctions come amid broader concerns in Washington about terrorism financing, religious freedom issues in Nigeria, and cyber threats, following recent recommendations by U.S. lawmakers for additional visa bans and asset freezes against other Nigerian individuals and groups. Although those recommendations remain separate from the latest OFAC designations, they reflect growing scrutiny by U.S. policymakers of security and human rights concerns involving Nigeria.
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