The United States government has designated three individuals and six businesses as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, accusing them of operating a cross-border financial network that has been funnelling money to the Islamic State, and one of those individuals is a Lagos-based Nigerian whose currency exchange firms, the US alleges, served as conduits for ISIS financing.
The designations, announced on Monday, June 22, by the US Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control, target entities operating across France, Syria, Türkiye, Nigeria, and other parts of Europe and the Middle East.
Washington says dismantling this web is critical to cutting off the funds that enable ISIS to plan attacks, sustain its regional affiliates, and continue threatening civilians around the world.
The Nigerian named in the designations is Muhammad Mukhtar Adamu, born August 2, 1990, listed as a resident of the Agege area of Lagos and linked to ISIS-West Africa.
Three currency exchange businesses registered in his name have been sanctioned alongside him.
The first is General Currency Bureau De Change Limited, located in Lagos and registered on January 9, 2019, under registration number RC 1555604.
The second is Manhattan Bureau De Change, situated on Murtala Mohammed Way in Kano, established on January 26, 2021, with registration number RC 1763824.
The third is Nine To Nine Exchange Bureau De Change, located at the FAAN Complex on Airport Road in Lagos, established on August 22, 2017, under registration number RC 1462752.
All three, according to the US, were used to move ISIS money across borders.
The two other individuals sanctioned are a Syrian and a Frenchman.
The Syrian, Abdelhakim Boukich, also known as Babili Muhammad, born December 15, 1993, is accused of using cryptocurrency to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS allies.
The Frenchman, Abderrahmane Miloud, also known as Ghazi Ibrahim, born August 1992, is accused of providing information on explosives to ISIS supporters.
Both are linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
The US also used Monday's announcement to reaffirm what it described as its strong partnership with Nigeria on counterterrorism.
The two countries cooperated in a joint operation on May 16, 2026, that resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the second-highest official in the ISIS hierarchy.
The US State Department, in a statement accompanying the designations, was unambiguous about its intentions going forward.
"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," it said.
US STATE DEPARTMENT TREASURY
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