The United States government has moved to freeze the assets of eight Nigerian nationals over their purported ties to global terrorist networks and involvement in cybercrime.
This enforcement action was executed by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), a branch of the US Treasury Department.
The names appear on a massive 3,000-page sanctions document alongside individuals from various other nations.
According to the official records, the sanctioned Nigerians are linked to organizations that pose a significant risk to international stability, including “Boko Haram” and the “Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant” (ISIL).
Among those identified in the documents are:
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Salih Yusuf Adamu, who faces allegations of financing Boko Haram.
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Babestan Ademulero and Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, both cited for terrorism links.
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Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, Khaled Al-Barnawi, and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, all linked to Boko Haram operations.
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Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad Al-Mainuki, associated with ISIL.
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Nnamdi Benson, who is specifically accused of cybercrime.
While the US government has frozen their assets, it remains uncertain whether these individuals actually hold any property or funds within American jurisdiction.
Beyond the freeze, the OFAC designation carries a “Midas touch” in reverse, as it “bars all US persons and entities from transacting with these individuals.”
This crackdown arrives as several high-ranking US officials demand stricter penalties for those connected to religious violence in Nigeria.
Last week, a legislative push saw US lawmakers call for sanctions against the former governor of Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso, despite a lack of evidence presented against him.
The bill labeled Kwankwaso as one of the figures contributing to the “systemic religious persecution of Christians that has persisted” in Nigeria.
The same bill targeted groups such as the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, and Fulani-ethnic nomad militias. Notably, Kwankwaso’s name was absent from the list released on Monday.
Furthermore, the bill pressures Secretary of State Marco Rubio to deliver annual reports on the status of Christian persecution in Nigeria.
The document asserts that the Nigerian government “should thoroughly investigate instances of penalties or imprisonment under blasphemy laws or Sharia law and work to end these practices and repeal such laws.”
US officials have maintained that the ongoing religious violence and militant activity represent a direct threat to American interests, stating that these factors “destabilise a strategically important region, jeopardise religious freedom rights, and exacerbate the threat environment facing West Africa.”
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