The United States has designated a Nigerian national and three companies in Nigeria as financial facilitators for the Islamic State group, part of a broader crackdown on an international network moving funds for ISIS operations.
The action, announced on Monday, targeted three individuals and six entities operating across Europe, the Middle East and West Africa.
Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, also known as Mukhtar Adamu or Muhammad Mukhtar, based in Lagos, was among those listed for his alleged role. Three Nigerian currency exchange firms — Generation Currency Bureau de Change Limited in Lagos, Manhattan Bureau de Change Limited in Kano, and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau de Change Limited in Ikeja, Lagos — were also designated.
US State Department spokesperson Thomas Pigott described the network’s reach 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,” he said.
Pigott highlighted the Nigeria-linked facilitator “whose money exchange businesses served as conduits for ISIS financing.”
The designations were made under Executive Order 13224, as amended. ISIS, formerly known as al-Qa’ida in Iraq, has been listed as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organisation since 2004.
The US reaffirmed its strong partnership with Nigeria, noting joint efforts including a May operation that killed a senior ISIS figure. Pigott pledged continued action against the group.
“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,” he stated.
The move comes as Washington maintains pressure on ISIS networks worldwide to disrupt their financing channels.
