OFAC list includes individuals convicted in 2022 UAE cell that attempted to send $782,000 to insurgents; sanctions block all US-based assets and transactions
The United States has frozen the assets and properties of eight Nigerian nationals accused of having links to Boko Haram, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), and cybercrime networks, according to a newly released document from the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC).
The more than 3,000-page "Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List," dated February 10, 2026, provides public notice of actions taken against individuals whose property and interests are now blocked as part of Washington's ongoing counter-terrorism efforts .
The Sanctions List
Among those designated are individuals with documented ties to terrorist networks, including several linked to a 2022 UAE-based cell that attempted to funnel nearly $800,000 to Boko Haram fighters in Nigeria.
The sanctioned individuals include:
- Salih Yusuf Adamu (also known as Salihu Yusuf): Born August 23, 1990, in Nigeria. Adamu was among six Nigerians convicted in 2022 for establishing a Boko Haram cell in the United Arab Emirates to raise funds for insurgents. The group was found guilty of attempting to send $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria .
- Babestan Oluwole Ademulero: Born March 4, 1953, in Nigeria. Designated under SDNTK sanctions, he operates under several aliases including Wole A. Babestan and Olatunde Irewole Shofeso.
- Abu Abdullah ibn Umar Al-Barnawi (also known as Ba Idrisa): Born between 1989 and 1994 in Maiduguri, Borno State. Flagged under terrorism-related sanctions.
- Abu Musab Al-Barnawi (also referred to as Habib Yusuf): Born between 1990 and 1995. Identified as a Boko Haram leader and sanctioned under terrorism provisions.
- Khaled (Khalid) Al-Barnawi: Born 1976 in Maiduguri. Linked to Boko Haram and listed under several aliases including Abu Hafsat and Mohammed Usman.
- Ibrahim Ali Alhassan: Born January 31, 1981, in Nigeria. Reported to reside in Abu Dhabi, UAE, and linked to Boko Haram.
- Abu Bakr ibn Muhammad ibn Ali Al-Mainuki (also known as Abu-Bilal Al-Minuki): Born 1982 in Mainok, Borno State. Identified as having ties to ISIL.
- Nnamdi Orson Benson: Born March 21, 1987, in Nigeria. Listed under CYBER2 sanctions for cybercrime-related offenses.
What the Sanctions Mean
The OFAC designation means that all property and interests of these individuals within US jurisdiction are blocked, and US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in any transactions with them. The sanctions fall under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those providing support to terrorist organizations .
"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 (which term includes both individuals and entities) whose property is blocked, to assist the public in complying with the various sanctions programmes administered by OFAC," the agency stated .
Broader Context
The sanctions announcement comes amid heightened US focus on Nigeria's security situation. The United States officially designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organization in 2013, citing the group's responsibility for "numerous attacks in the northern and northeastern regions of the country, as well as in the Lake Chad Basin in Cameroon, Chad and Niger that have killed thousands of people since 2009" .
Recent months have seen intensified bilateral security cooperation between Washington and Abuja. In January 2026, the US and Nigeria held the first meeting of a Joint Working Group established in response to President Donald Trump's redesignation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern (CPC). The working group focuses on reducing violence against vulnerable communities and strengthening counter-terrorism cooperation .
The Treasury action also follows recent recommendations by US lawmakers for visa bans and asset freezes on former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and Miyetti Allah groups over alleged religious freedom violations . However, the current OFAC list targets individuals specifically linked to terrorism financing rather than religious persecution allegations.
Implications
The inclusion of these names in the OFAC list underscores Washington's continued commitment to disrupting terrorism financing networks and cyber threats emanating from or connected to Nigeria. For the designated individuals, the sanctions effectively cut them off from the US financial system and prohibit American citizens and entities from doing business with them.
As the US and Nigeria deepen security cooperation, additional designations may follow. The Treasury Department maintains that such measures are essential tools in the global fight against terrorism financing and transnational crime .
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