US Targets Lagos-Based ISIS Financier, BDC Operators in Global Anti-Terror Action

The United States has imposed sanctions on a Lagos-based ISIS financier, Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, 35, and three associated Bureaux de Change (BDC) operators. The action, part of a broader crackdown on ISIS financial networks, targets individuals and entities allegedly involved in moving funds for the terrorist group across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa.

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Under the leadership of President Trump, the United States is dismantling ISIS’s ability to finance terrorism around the world. We are cutting off the financial lifelines that enable ISIS to fund attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians, including religious minorities.

These measures were enacted under Executive Order 13224, which aims to disrupt financial networks supporting terrorism. U.S. authorities stated that the targeted network, operating in France, Turkey, Syria, and Nigeria, allegedly provided funding for ISIS attacks, supported its affiliates, and threatened civilians, including religious minorities.

Muhammad, also known by aliases Adamu Mukhtar and Muhammad Mukhtar, was listed with an address in Agege, Lagos State, and is directly linked to ISIS-West Africa. The sanctioned BDCs include Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited in Lagos State, and Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited in Kano. The U.S. Department of State's Office of Foreign Assets Control identified Muhammad as a facilitator who used his BDCs to channel funds for ISIS.

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These actions reflect the United States’ unrelenting pressure on ISIS, which continues to decentralize its operations and rely on financial intermediaries to connect its global network.

This latest action increases the number of Nigerians sanctioned by the U.S. for terrorism financing to 10 since 2022. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State emphasized the ongoing pressure on ISIS, stating, "We are cutting off the financial lifelines that enable ISIS to fund attacks, support its regional affiliates, and threaten civilians." The U.S. reaffirmed its partnership with Nigeria and its commitment to using all available tools to hold ISIS and its supporters accountable.

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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.