The United States government has sanctioned a Nigerian national and three Nigeria-based companies over allegations that they facilitated financial transactions linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, also known as ISIS.
The sanctions were announced as part of a broader action targeting three individuals and six entities accused of moving funds for ISIS operations across multiple countries. According to a statement issued by the United States Department of State on Monday, the designations affected individuals and businesses operating in France, Syria, Türkiye and Nigeria.
US Department of State spokesperson Thomas Pigott identified the Nigerian national as Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, who was described as an alleged financier connected to ISIS West Africa. The statement said Muhammad, born on August 2, 1990, operates from Agege, Lagos, and was designated under Executive Order 13224, as amended.
Three Nigerian companies were also named in the sanctions list. They include Generation Currency Bureau de Change Limited, registered in Lagos; Manhattan Bureau de Change Limited, based in Kano; and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau de Change Limited, located in Ikeja, Lagos. US authorities alleged that the firms were linked to Muhammad and served as channels through which funds were moved on behalf of the terrorist network.
Pigott said the latest action exposed a financial network stretching across Europe, the Middle East and West Africa. He noted that the sanctions also targeted a France-based facilitator accused of supplying information on explosives to ISIS supporters and a Syria-based operator who allegedly used cryptocurrency to transfer funds for ISIS associates in several countries, including the United States.
“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,” Pigott said. He added that the Nigerian-based facilitator used money exchange businesses as conduits for financing ISIS activities.
The US government reaffirmed its security partnership with Nigeria, noting that Nigerian authorities participated in the May 16, 2026 operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, identified as the second-highest ranking official within ISIS. Pigott said Washington would continue to deploy diplomatic, financial and legal tools to disrupt the activities of ISIS and its supporters worldwide.
“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,” Pigott said.
He added that the United States remained committed to working with international partners to counter the threat posed by ISIS, which was first designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation in 2004 when it operated as al-Qa’ida in Iraq.
