The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians over alleged involvement in terrorism financing and cybercrime, freezing their assets under US jurisdiction.

The sanctions were announced in a February 10 update by the US Department of the Treasury through its Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) and published in an extensive revision of the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) List. The SDN List identifies individuals and entities whose assets are blocked as part of US counterterrorism, cybersecurity, and national security enforcement measures.

OFAC said the publication serves as formal notice to the public of individuals subject to sanctions, stressing that US persons are prohibited from engaging in transactions with those listed.

Among the designated individuals is Salih Yusuf Adamu, also known as Salihu Yusuf, who was linked to Boko Haram. Yusuf was among six Nigerians convicted in the United Arab Emirates in 2022 for establishing a Boko Haram cell aimed at raising funds for insurgent activities in Nigeria, including an attempt to transfer $782,000 from Dubai.

Others listed under terrorism-related sanctions include Babestan Oluwole Ademulero; Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi, also known as Ba Idrisa; Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, identified by US authorities as a Boko Haram leader; Khaled Al-Barnawi, also known by several aliases; and Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, a Nigerian passport holder reportedly based in Abu Dhabi.

Also designated was Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki, also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki, who was accused of ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL). Another Nigerian, Nnamdi Orson Benson, was sanctioned under the CYBER2 programme for alleged involvement in significant malicious cyber-enabled activities.

Under the sanctions, all property and interests in property belonging to the listed individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and violations may attract civil or criminal penalties. The action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13224, which targets individuals and entities involved in terrorism and terrorism financing.

The latest move follows recent calls by members of the US Congress for visa bans and asset freezes on certain Nigerian individuals and organisations over alleged religious freedom violations. However, some names reportedly mentioned in those recommendations did not appear on the February 10 OFAC list.

The sanctions come amid renewed scrutiny of Nigeria’s security challenges. The United States designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013, citing its attacks across Nigeria and parts of the Lake Chad Basin since 2009.

In October 2025, US President Donald Trump announced Nigeria’s addition to the State Department’s religious freedom watchlist, reviving a designation first applied in 2020 and later removed under President Joe Biden.

US authorities said the latest sanctions underscore Washington’s continued efforts to disrupt terrorism financing networks and combat cyber-enabled threats linked to international insecurity.