From Aidoghie Paulinus, Abuja
The United States, has sanctioned six Nigerians for raising funds in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to support Boko Haram.
The affected Nigerians were identified as Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad.
In a statement issued in Washington, the United States Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), designated a network of six individuals connected to Boko Haram.
The United States said all six persons were found guilty of establishing a Boko Haram cell in the UAE to raise funds for and provide material assistance to Boko Haram.
The United States added that OFAC’s action followed arrests, prosecutions and designations in the UAE in September 2021, demonstrating the commitment of the Emirati government to using judicial measures and targeted financial sanctions to disrupt the flow of funds to these networks.
Following the development, the Under Secretary of the Treasury Brian Nelson, said: “With this action, the United States joins the UAE in targeting terrorist financing networks of mutual concern.”
Nelson also said: “Treasury continues to target financial facilitators of terrorist activity worldwide. We welcome multilateral action on this Boko Haram network to ensure that it is not able to move any further funds through the international financial system.”
OFAC further said it designated Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, as amended, which targeted terrorists, leaders, and officials of terrorist groups, and those providing support to terrorists or acts of terrorism.
It recalled that the United States Department of State, designated Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on November 14, 2013.
“The UAE Federal Court of Appeals in Abu Dhabi convicted Abdurrahman Ado Musa, Salihu Yusuf Adamu, Bashir Ali Yusuf, Muhammed Ibrahim Isa, Ibrahim Ali Alhassan, and Surajo Abubakar Muhammad for transferring $782,000 from Dubai to Boko Haram in Nigeria.”