Reported by: Oahimire Omone Precious | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Residents of a quiet, tightly-knit community in the Agege area of Lagos have been thrown into a state of shock and disbelief following the designation of one of their own, Alhaji Mukhtar Adamu Muhammad, by the United States government as an alleged financial facilitator for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) network. The US Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) announced the sanctions on June 22, 2026, naming Muhammad, also known as Adamu Mukhtar and Muhammad Mukhtar, and three Nigeria-based Bureau De Change (BDC) firms he is alleged to own or control, for their roles in an international terrorism financing network.
The sanctions have cast a spotlight on the unassuming neighbourhood of Morkaz, Agege, where Muhammad's listed residence at No. 45, Abimbola Street stands as a silent and baffling monument to the allegations. A visit to the address by Sunday PUNCH revealed a dark cream-coloured bungalow with no signs of recent habitation. Its iron doors were partially sealed with concrete, the door handles rusted, and the windows tightly shut, painting a picture of a property that has been deserted for years. Finding the property was an adventure in itself, reflecting the chaotic nature of the area. House numbers on Abimbola Street appeared to have been assigned without any discernible order, with residents pointing in different directions when asked about Muhammad's home. The building itself bore no visible number, and it took the assistance of a cautious neighbour to identify it.
The revelation has left residents of the predominantly Hausa community grappling with the cognitive dissonance of the allegations. For them, Muhammad was a familiar figure known for his religious devotion, not international terror financing. A 58-year-old food vendor, identified simply as Hajia, expressed her astonishment. "This area is mainly occupied by Hausa people, but I have never seen anything that would suggest criminal activities or terrorist operations here," she told Sunday PUNCH. "What surprised me the most is how America even knew Abimbola Street and the exact house number. I am standing at Number 44 now, but I don't know anybody called Muhammad Mukhtar. I have lived here for six years," she said. Another long-time resident, Alhaji Suleiman Tijani, who has lived in the neighbourhood for about a decade, described the community as peaceful. "There has never been any history of violence or radical activities here. This is a quiet community," he stated. He confirmed that the house in question had been unoccupied for a long time, with people occasionally coming to clean and stay briefly without raising any suspicion. According to residents, Muhammad was a deeply religious man who worshipped at the local mosque and kept to himself. The image of a pious neighbour has been shattered by the weight of the US allegations, leaving the community struggling to reconcile the man they knew with the international terrorist financier the US describes.
The US action was part of a broader counter-terrorism offensive targeting ISIS financial networks across Europe, the Middle East, and West Africa. Washington alleged that Muhammad conducted money transfers on behalf of ISIS-West Africa (ISWAP) using his BDC companies as conduits. The three sanctioned companies are Nine To Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited in Ikeja, Lagos; Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited in Kano; and Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited, also in Lagos. Two other individuals were also designated: Abderrahmane Miloud, a French national, and Abdelhakim Boukich, an alleged extremist financial facilitator based in Syria. The sanctions came weeks after a joint US-Nigeria operation that killed Abu-Bilal al-Minuki, described as the number two official in ISIS. The US Treasury said all property and interests of the designated persons and entities within US jurisdiction are now blocked, and American citizens are prohibited from dealing with them.
The Federal Government of Nigeria has welcomed the US decision, reaffirming its commitment to cutting off funding for terrorist organisations. The Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC), in a statement on June 24, 2026, noted that the US action followed Nigeria's own designation of Muhammad and his businesses on the Nigeria Sanctions List on June 18, 2026. The NSC directed all financial institutions to comply with sanctions obligations, including asset-freezing measures and the filing of Suspicious Transaction Reports. Despite the international and federal scrutiny, the Lagos State Government has stated it has no plans to demolish the property. The Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, explained that the issue is beyond the state's jurisdiction, as it pertains to terrorism and national security. For the residents of Abimbola Street, the sudden global attention is an unsettling experience. As one resident, Auwal, expressed concern, "My fear is that security agencies may start coming here to arrest innocent residents while searching for this person". For now, the quiet community of Agege remains on edge, its peace shattered by the revelation that a man who worshipped among them now stands accused of funding terror.
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