U.S. Freezes Assets of 8 Nigerians Over Alleged Terror, Cybercrime Links
By: Oluwaseun Lawal
A name on a list. Then another. And another.
In a sweeping update released on February 10, the United States Department of the Treasury, through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), placed eight Nigerians on its Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List — better known as the SDN List. The document runs thousands of pages. Their names are now part of it.
According to OFAC, individuals on the list have their property and interests in property within U.S. jurisdiction blocked. American citizens and entities are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them. The action was taken under Executive Order 13224, a counter-terrorism authority used to disrupt financing networks.
Among those listed is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, born August 23, 1990. He was previously convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022, alongside five others, for establishing a Boko Haram cell and attempting to move $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria.
Babestan Oluwole Ademulero, born March 4, 1953, appears under terrorism-related sanctions and is identified with multiple aliases. Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, reportedly born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, is also designated.
Another name — Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, also known as Habib Yusuf — is identified as a Boko Haram leader. Khaled (or Khalid) Al-Barnawi, born in 1976 in Maiduguri, appears in the publication with several aliases. Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, born January 31, 1981, and said to reside in Abu Dhabi, is also listed for alleged Boko Haram links.
Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, born in 1982 in Mainok, Borno State, was designated for alleged ties to ISIL. Nnamdi Orson Benson, born March 21, 1987, was listed under CYBER2 sanctions, a category targeting significant malicious cyber-enabled activities.
The U.S. designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013. The State Department has previously stated that the group has carried out attacks across northern and northeastern Nigeria and parts of the Lake Chad Basin since 2009, causing thousands of deaths.
The sanctions come amid broader discussions in Washington about Nigeria, including recommendations from some U.S. lawmakers for visa bans and asset freezes over religious freedom concerns. However, certain names reportedly suggested did not appear on the February 10 list.
Under U.S. law, designation triggers immediate blocking of assets under American jurisdiction. Funds. Property. Business interests. Frozen.
It is part of what U.S. authorities describe as an ongoing effort to disrupt terrorism financing and cyber threats. The list grows longer. And consequences, once added, are not light.
