The United States says it has frozen the assets of eight Nigerians linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
This action was detailed in a comprehensive 3,000-page document released on February 10, 2026, by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
In addition to targeting terrorism, the document identifies individuals sanctioned for cybercrime and other security threats.
These measures align with recent U.S. Congressional recommendations for visa bans and financial restrictions on those accused of violating religious freedom and persecuting Christians in Nigeria.
The United States lawmakers have recommended visa bans and asset freezes against the former Governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and Miyetti Allah Kautal, over alleged links to extremist activities.
The recommendation was contained in a document released by the US Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) titled “Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List.”
The publication outlines individuals and entities whose assets have been frozen and serves as a reference tool for compliance with US sanctions regimes, particularly those related to counter-terrorism.
According to Office of Foreign Assets Control, the move forms part of broader efforts to block the property and interests of designated individuals and prevent financial dealings with them.
“This publication of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control is designed as a reference tool providing actual notice of actions by OFAC with respect to Specially Designated Nationals and other persons whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programmes administered by OFAC,” the agency said.
Among those listed is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990, in Nigeria. OFAC identified him as having ties to Boko Haram.
Yusuf was among six Nigerians convicted in 2022 in the United Arab Emirates for setting up a Boko Haram cell to raise funds for insurgents in Nigeria. The group attempted to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Another individual, Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, was designated under SDNTK sanctions and listed under multiple aliases, including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
Also sanctioned were Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (also known as Ba Idrisa), Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (Habib Yusuf), Khaled (Khalid) Al-Barnawi, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, all identified as having links to Boko Haram or ISIL.
Several of the individuals were born in Maiduguri or other parts of Borno State and were sanctioned under terrorism-related executive orders.
Additionally, Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was listed under CYBER2 sanctions for cyber-related offences and was reported to hold a Nigerian passport.
The sanctions mean that all property and interests of the listed individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
Nigerians named under the sanctions face asset freezes under Executive Order 13224.
The United States officially designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013.
According to the US State Department, the group has carried out numerous deadly attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria, as well as the Lake Chad Basin, since 2009.
In October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced for the second time that Nigeria would be added to the US Department of State’s list of “Countries of Particular Concern,” citing alleged religious freedom violations.
Nigeria was first designated in 2020 under Trump but was removed from the list by former President Joe Biden shortly after he assumed office.
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