The United States government has designated a Nigerian citizen and three Nigeria-based companies as alleged facilitators of terrorism financing linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), in a coordinated crackdown targeting a transnational financial network operating across Nigeria, Syria, France, and Türkiye.
According to the U.S. Department of State, the sanctions are aimed at disrupting financial channels allegedly used to move funds on behalf of ISIS and its affiliates, including ISIS-West Africa.
The U.S. authorities identified the Nigerian national as Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu, a Lagos-based businessman alleged to have played a role in facilitating financial transactions connected to the terrorist organization.
Nigerian firms listed
Three Nigerian Bureau De Change (BDC) operators were also designated:
Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited – Lagos
Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited – Lagos
Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited – Kano
U.S. authorities alleged that the companies were involved in financial activities linked to ISIS through a network that moved funds across several countries.
Other individuals and entities sanctioned
The sanctions list also includes:
Individuals
Abdelhakim Boukich (Syria/Netherlands)
Miloud Abderrahmane (France)
Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu (Nigeria)
Entities
Alkaram Danışmanlık Gayrimenkul İç ve Dış Ticaret Ltd. Şti. (Türkiye)
Spider Gayrimenkul ve Genel Ticaret Ltd. Şti. (Türkiye)
Idlib’s No.1 Coin Exchange (Syria)
Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited (Nigeria)
Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited (Nigeria)
Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited (Nigeria)
The U.S. Treasury Department said the sanctions are intended to deny ISIS access to the international financial system and disrupt the group’s ability to fund operations globally.
The designations mean that any assets of the listed individuals and entities under U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.
As of the time of filing this report, there has been no public response from the affected Nigerian individual or the companies named in the sanctions list.
