The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians accused of links to terror!st groups and cybercrime, freezing any assets they hold in the U.S. and warning Americans not to conduct business with them
The list, published over the weekend by the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), appears in a document of more than 3,000 pages identifying individuals and entities designated as Specially Designated Nationals (SDNs) under U.S. counter-terrorism laws.
OFAC stated that the list “provides actual notice of actions … whose property is blocked,” serving as a reference for individuals and businesses to comply with U.S. law.
Several of those sanctioned are alleged to have ties to Boko Haram, which the U.S. designated as a foreign terrorist organization in 2013, and to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
Among those targeted is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, a Nigerian passport holder with reported links to Boko Haram. He was previously convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022, along with five others, for establishing a Boko Haram cell to raise funds for fighters.
Others include Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa, and several members of the Al-Barnawi family, who are reportedly connected to Boko Haram’s leadership. Nnamdi Orson Benson was also sanctioned under cybercrime-related measures, suggesting involvement in significant online criminal activity.
The sanctions block all property and interests these individuals hold in the U.S. or under the control of U.S. persons, and prohibit Americans from engaging in financial transactions with them.
The move is part of broader U.S. efforts to fight terrorism financing and cybercrime, which include visa bans and asset freezes previously recommended for other Nigerians with similar allegations.
Nigeria’s government and law enforcement agencies have not yet issued a public response to the sanctions.
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Naija and crime