US sanctions Nigerian, others over alleged ISIS financing network

 

 

The United States government has unveiled a new round of sanctions targeting individuals and businesses accused of facilitating financial transactions for the Islamic State (ISIS), in what officials describe as a major step in the Trump administration’s ongoing campaign against global terrorism financing.

The sanctions, announced on Monday, affect three individuals and six companies allegedly involved in moving funds across international borders on behalf of ISIS-linked networks operating in Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.

According to U.S. authorities, the action is aimed at disrupting a complex financial web stretching from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria, which has enabled ISIS to fund terrorist operations, support regional affiliates and sustain activities that threaten civilians and vulnerable communities, including religious minorities.

Among those sanctioned is Nigerian national Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu, who U.S. officials say is associated with ISIS-West Africa and used a network of currency exchange businesses to facilitate the movement of funds linked to the terrorist organization. Adamu, born in August 1990, is reported to reside in the Agege area of Lagos State.

Also designated are Syrian national Abdelhakim Boukich, also known as Babili Muhammad, and French national Abderrahmane Miloud, also known as Ghazi Ibrahim. U.S. authorities allege that Boukich used cryptocurrency channels to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS affiliates, while Miloud provided information relating to explosives to ISIS supporters.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) identified the three individuals and six entities as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGT), a designation that freezes any assets under U.S. jurisdiction and generally prohibits American individuals and businesses from engaging in transactions with them.

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Among the Nigerian companies linked to Adamu and now under sanctions are General Currency Bureau De Change Limited, established in Lagos on January 9, 2019; Manhattan Bureau De Change, located on Murtala Mohammed Way in Kano and incorporated on January 26, 2021; and Nine To Nine Exchange Bureau De Change, situated within the FAAN Complex along Airport Road in Lagos and established on August 22, 2017.

The latest sanctions come as the United States continues to intensify international cooperation against ISIS. Washington highlighted its strong security partnership with Nigeria, noting that Nigerian authorities joined U.S. forces in the May 16, 2026 operation that resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the second-highest-ranking official within the terrorist group.

U.S. officials said sustained military, diplomatic and financial pressure has forced ISIS to decentralize its operations, increasing its dependence on intermediaries and underground financial channels to connect and sustain its global network.

Reaffirming Washington’s commitment to combating terrorism financing worldwide, the U.S. State Department stated that all available diplomatic and legal instruments would continue to be deployed against ISIS operatives and their supporters regardless of where they operate.

“We will continue to use every diplomatic and legal tool available to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable—wherever they operate and however they move money,” the department said in a statement.

The sanctions represent the latest effort by U.S. authorities to dismantle the financial infrastructure that enables terrorist organizations to recruit members, procure weapons and execute attacks across multiple regions of the world.