Terrorism: US Designates Nigerian, Two Others, Six Entities as ISIS Financiers

Terrorism: US Designates Nigerian, Two Others, Six Entities as ISIS Financiers The United States has launched a fresh crackdown on the Islam...

Terrorism: US Designates Nigerian, Two Others, Six Entities as ISIS Financiers

The United States has launched a fresh crackdown on the Islamic State (ISIS) terrorist financing network, designating a Nigerian national, two other individuals, and six entities operating across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa.

Announced on Monday, June 22, 2026, by the U.S. Department of State and the Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the action targets a transnational network accused of moving funds to sustain ISIS operations and its regional affiliates, particularly ISIS-West Africa (ISIS-WA/ISWAP).

U.S. State Department Spokesperson Thomas “Tommy” Pigott said in a statement:

“Today’s designations target three individuals and six entities operating across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa who have enabled ISIS to move money across borders, exposing a network that spans from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria.”

The Nigerian Connection

The Nigerian individual named is Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad (also known as Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu or Adamu Mukhtar), a 35-year-old Lagos-based businessman residing in Agege, Lagos State.

According to the U.S. Treasury, Muhammad has acted as a financial facilitator for ISIS-West Africa, conducting money transfers on behalf of the group. Three Nigerian bureaux de change linked to him were also designated:

Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau de Change Limited (Lagos)

Manhattan Bureau de Change Limited (Kano)

Generation Currency Bureau de Change Limited (Lagos)

These entities, allegedly owned, controlled, or directed by Muhammad, are accused of serving as conduits for ISIS-linked financial transactions.

The other two individuals designated include:

A France-based facilitator who provided information on the use of explosives to ISIS supporters.

A Syria-based operator who used cryptocurrency to transfer funds for ISIS associates in multiple countries, including the United States.

The designations were made under Executive Order 13224, as amended. They result in the blocking of any U.S.-based assets or interests of the designated persons and entities, and prohibit U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with them.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is dismantling ISIS’s ability to finance terrorism around the world. We are cutting off the financial lifelines from around the world that enable ISIS to fund attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians,” the spokesperson added.

Implications for Nigeria

The sanctions are expected to isolate the designated parties from the international financial system. Security analysts and observers have called on Nigerian authorities, including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Department of State Services (DSS), to launch complementary investigations and possible domestic sanctions.

Bureaux de change (BDCs) have come under increased scrutiny in Nigeria in recent years due to their vulnerability to money laundering and terrorism financing.

This latest U.S. action forms part of ongoing global efforts to disrupt ISIS’s decentralised and adaptive financing methods, which increasingly rely on informal money transfer systems, hawala networks, and cryptocurrencies.

Family Writers Press International.