Flashback: US Once Listed 6 People Funding Terrorists in Nigeria, Explained How It Was Done from UAE
- The United States once imposed sanctions on six Nigerians convicted in the UAE for financing Boko Haram
- The men were reported to have attempted to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria to support the terrorist group
- Washington’s move then signaled a joint effort with the UAE to disrupt global terrorist funding networks
In a flashback to March 2022, the United States government formally sanctioned six Nigerian nationals found guilty of financing Boko Haram while residing in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The decision has been revisited amid President Donald Trump’s designation of Nigeria as a Country of Particular Concern, highlighting longstanding concerns over terrorism and extremist funding networks.
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The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the designation of the individuals under Executive Order 13224, which targets terrorists and those who support acts of terrorism.
The six men are: Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad. They were eventually convicted in the UAE for establishing a Boko Haram cell to raise funds and provide material support to insurgents in Nigeria.
UAE convictions and US financial sanctions
According to the Treasury Department, the group attempted to transfer $782,000 from Dubai to Nigeria to aid Boko Haram fighters in 2022.
Adamu and Muhammad received life sentences under UAE anti-terrorism laws, while the remaining four were sentenced to ten years in prison followed by deportation.
OFAC’s action followed arrests and prosecutions carried out by Emirati authorities in September 2021. The Treasury noted at the time that the UAE’s use of judicial measures and financial sanctions demonstrated its commitment to disrupting terrorist financing.
“With this action, the United States joins the UAE in targeting terrorist financing networks of mutual concern,” said Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson.
“Treasury continues to target financial facilitators of terrorist activity worldwide. We welcome multilateral action on this Boko Haram network to ensure that it is not able to move any further funds through the international financial system.”
Assets blocked under US law
The Treasury confirmed that all property and interests in property belonging to the six individuals, and any entities owned 50 percent or more by them, must be blocked and reported to OFAC if located in the United States or controlled by US persons.
Boko Haram was officially designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist by the US State Department in November 2013.
The group has been responsible for deadly attacks across northern Nigeria and the Lake Chad Basin, affecting Cameroon, Chad, and Niger since 2009.
Broader sanctions on Myanmar military
In a separate action, the Treasury also sanctioned five individuals and five entities linked to Myanmar’s military.
This followed the US government’s formal determination that Myanmar’s army committed genocide and crimes against humanity against the Rohingya minority.
These coordinated sanctions reflect the US government’s continued efforts to combat global terrorism and human rights abuses through financial restrictions and international cooperation.
12 states where governors may face severe sanctions
Legit.ng earlier reported that Twelve governors from northern Nigeria may face severe sanctions following a renewed push by the United States Congress to hold Nigerian officials accountable for alleged religious persecution.
The move comes after President Donald Trump designated Nigeria as a “Country of Particular Concern” and urged swift action over what he described as a “Christian genocide.”
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Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
