The United States has designated a Nigerian national and three Nigerian companies as financial facilitators allegedly linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). This move was part of a broader action targeting three individuals and six entities accused of moving funds to support ISIS operations worldwide.
According to a statement issued by U.S. Department of State spokesperson Thomas Pigott, the latest designations span France, Syria, Türkiye, and Nigeria, reflecting the global reach of ISIS’s financial network. The Nigerian national named is Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad (also known as Adamu Mukhtar or Mukhtar Muhammad), born August 2, 1990, and associated with passport numbers A11904741 and A07422697. Muhammad is alleged to be linked to ISIS West Africa.
Three Nigerian companies were also designated: Generation Currency Bureau de Change Limited (RC 1555604), Manhattan Bureau de Change Limited (RC 1763824), and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau de Change Limited (RC 1462752). All are reportedly connected to Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad and the ISIS network.
Pigott described these businesses as conduits for ISIS, enabling the transfer of funds across borders. “Today’s designations target individuals and entities operating in Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa who have helped ISIS move money internationally — exposing a network that stretches from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria,” the statement reads.
Among those designated are a France-based facilitator who provided information on explosives to ISIS supporters, a Syria-based operator who used cryptocurrency to move funds for ISIS associates in multiple countries, including the United States, and the Nigerian facilitator whose money exchange businesses played a key role in ISIS financing.
The U.S. government also released the identities of the three individuals and six companies designated, noting that three of the companies are Nigerian, two in Lagos State, and one in Kano.
The United States reaffirmed its strong partnership with Nigeria, highlighting Nigeria’s cooperation in a May 16, 2026, operation that resulted in the death of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, ISIS’s second-in-command. Pigott emphasized America’s ongoing commitment to using all diplomatic and legal tools to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable globally and to working with international partners to eliminate the threat posed by ISIS.
These actions were taken under Executive Order 13224, as amended. ISIS, formerly known as al-Qa’ida in Iraq, was designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist organization in 2004.
