US FREEZES ASSETS OF EIGHT NIGERIANS OVER ALLEGED TIES TO BOKO HARAM, ISIL

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Agency Report

The United States has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerians accused of having links to extremist groups, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).

The action was disclosed in a February 10 publication by the US Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), titled Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. The extensive document details individuals and entities whose assets have been blocked as part of Washington’s counter-terrorism and security enforcement measures.

OFAC said the publication serves as official notice of actions taken against Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs), whose property and interests under US jurisdiction are frozen. The sanctions also prohibit US persons and institutions from engaging in financial or business transactions with those listed.

Among the Nigerians named is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. He was identified as having ties to Boko Haram and was reported to hold a Nigerian passport. Yusuf was among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for establishing a Boko Haram fundraising cell in Dubai and attempting to transfer $782,000 to insurgents in Nigeria.

Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was also designated under terrorism-related sanctions. He was listed under multiple aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.

Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, was flagged under terrorism sanctions. Born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State, he was identified as having links to extremist activities.

Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also referred to as Habib Yusuf and identified as a Boko Haram leader, was listed with varying birth years between 1990 and 1995.

Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, was also included. His name appeared twice in the publication, and he was linked to Boko Haram under multiple aliases, including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.

Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, was reported to reside in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, and was similarly linked to Boko Haram activities.

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.

Also listed was Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, who was designated under cyber-related sanctions.

According to OFAC, the measures form part of broader US efforts to disrupt terrorism financing networks and counter cybercrime and other security threats.

The latest sanctions come amid renewed attention in Washington over security and religious freedom concerns in Nigeria. US lawmakers recently recommended visa bans and asset freezes against certain Nigerian individuals and groups over alleged violations of religious freedom and persecution of Christians.

Among those reportedly recommended for sanctions were former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso, as well as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore. However, their names did not appear on the latest OFAC sanctions list.

The US formally designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization in 2013, citing its role in deadly attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin since 2009.

Sanctions imposed under Executive Order 13224 mean that all property and interests in property of the designated individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from conducting transactions with them.

As of press time, there has been no official response from Nigerian authorities regarding the latest sanctions announcement.