The United States government has officially designated a Nigerian citizen and three local financial companies as global terrorist facilitators. The sanctions target an international network accused of laundering and moving funds to support the operations of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).
According to a statement from U.S. Department of State spokesperson Thomas Pigott, the crackdown involves a total of three individuals and six entities operating across West Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
Profile of the Designated Nigerian Targets
The latest update to the U.S. Specially Designated Nationals (SDN) list explicitly names a Lagos-based individual and three Bureau De Change (BDC) operators functioning as financial conduits for ISIS-West Africa.
Sanctioned Individual
- Name: Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad (also known as Mukhtar Adamu or Muhammad Mukhtar)
- Address: No. 45 Abimbola Street, off Capital Road, Morcas Agege, Lagos State, Nigeria.
- Identifications: Born August 1990; holds Nigerian citizenship; associated with passport numbers A11904741 and A07422697.
Sanctioned Nigerian Entities
The U.S. government linked the following local financial businesses directly to Muhammad's network:
- Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited – Based in Lagos, Nigeria (RC 1555604).
- Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited – Located at No. 59 Murtala Mohammed Way, Wapa, Kano, Nigeria (RC 1763824).
- Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited – Operating from Ikeja, Lagos State, Nigeria (RC 1462752).
The Global Financing Network
The Department of State highlighted that the illicit network spans multiple jurisdictions, using various methods—including traditional cash exchanges and digital assets—to transfer capital across borders.
Beyond Nigeria, the blacklisted individuals and entities include:
- France: A facilitator accused of distributing explosive-making documentation to ISIS affiliates.
- Syria & Türkiye: Brokers and digital currency agents—such as Bitcoin Exchange Agent Idlib’s No.1 Coin Exchange and Alkaram Danismanlik—who utilized cryptocurrency to channel funds internationally, including into the United States.
U.S.-Nigeria Security Partnership
This enforcement action was executed under Executive Order 13224, a legal framework amended to disrupt the financial lifelines of terrorist groups.
The U.S. government reaffirmed its counter-terrorism alliance with Nigerian authorities, referencing a successful joint operation on May 16, 2026, which resulted in the neutralization of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, a high-ranking ISIS official. Spokesperson Pigott emphasized that the United States will continue employing all available legal and diplomatic measures to dismantle financial networks that threaten international security.
