US names ISIS financiers in Nigeria, others

THE United States government has sanctioned a Nigeria-based financial facilitator and several international operatives accused of helping the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) move funds across borders to support terrorist activities worldwide.

Among those identified is a France-based facilitator who provided information concerning the use of explosives to ISIS supporters, a Syria-based operator who used cryptocurrency to transfer funds on behalf of ISIS associates in multiple countries including the United States, and a Nigeria-based facilitator whose money exchange businesses served as conduits for ISIS financing.

In a statement released on Monday, the US Department of State announced sanctions against three individuals and six entities operating across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa, describing them as key actors in a transnational network that enabled ISIS to finance its operations.

The State Department did not immediately disclose the individual’s identity.

“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,” part of the statement reads.

The sanctions form part of President Donald Trump administration’s broader strategy to dismantle ISIS’s financial infrastructure and cut off funding channels used to support attacks, regional affiliates, and extremist activities.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is dismantling ISIS’s ability to finance terrorism around the world,” it argued.

The US government said the designated network stretched from France and Syria to Türkiye and Nigeria, highlighting the increasingly decentralised nature of ISIS operations and its reliance on intermediaries to move money globally.

“The United States also reaffirms its strong partnership with Nigeria, which joined the United States in the May 16, 2026, operation that resulted in the killing of Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, the number two official in ISIS,” the statement stressed.

Nanji is an investigative journalist with the ICIR. She has years of experience in reporting and broadcasting human angle stories, gender inequalities, minority stories, and human rights issues. She has documented sexual war crimes in armed conflict, sex for grades in Nigerian Universities, harmful traditional practices and human trafficking.