The United States has imposed sanctions on eight Nigerians accused of links to Boko Haram, the Islamic State, and cybercrime networks, freezing their assets under U.S. jurisdiction and barring American citizens from transacting with them.
The designations, announced by the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on February 10, placed the individuals on the Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List. Among those sanctioned were senior Boko Haram figures, individuals previously convicted in the UAE for setting up a Boko Haram cell and attempting to move $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria, and at least one person linked to cyber-enabled offences.
The move follows calls from some U.S. lawmakers for action against Nigerian figures accused of violating religious freedom, though those specific names did not appear on the sanctions list. Washington has designated Boko Haram a foreign terrorist organisation since 2013, and in October 2025, President Trump returned Nigeria to the State Department’s list of Countries of Particular Concern over religious freedom.
The sanctions form part of Washington’s broader strategy to disrupt terrorism financing networks and cybercrime syndicates operating across West Africa.
