The
Lagos
residence identified by the United States as belonging to a Nigerian accused of
financing the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria has been deserted for years. Residents
of the quiet Agege community said they neither knew the suspect nor ever
suspected that their neighbourhood could be linked to an international
terrorism financing network.
According to a Punch’s report, No. 45, Abimbola
Street, Morkaz, Agege, the address listed by the United States Department of
State as the residence of the alleged ISIS financial facilitator, Mukhtar Adamu
Muhammad, the building has been locked for years with no signs of habitation.
The dark cream-coloured bungalow, tucked between
houses numbered 43 and 47, stood eerily silent.
Its iron doors, partially sealed with concrete,
remained firmly locked. Rust coated the door handles, the windows were tightly
shut, and there were no signs of habitation or activity inside or around the
premises.
The visit came barely days after the US government
imposed sanctions on Muhammad and three Nigerian Bureau de Change firms over
their alleged roles in an international ISIS financial network.
In a statement issued on June 22, 2026, the US
Department of State named Muhammad, also known as Mukhtar Muhammad alongside
Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited, Manhattan Bureau De Change
Limited and Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited, as part of a
network allegedly used to move funds for ISIS operations across West Africa and
beyond.
The US listed Muhammad’s address as No. 45,
Abimbola Street, off Capital Road, Morkaz, Agege, Lagos State.
But on Abimbola Street, close to the renowned
Markaz Islamic Centre in the densely populated Papa Ashafa community, the
allegations have left residents stunned.
Residents were seen standing in small groups
discussing what they described as the biggest story ever associated with their
street, expressing disbelief that their neighbourhood had suddenly attracted
negative global attention.
Although some residents said the last occupants
vacated the property about two years ago, this could not be independently
verified, nor could it be established whether those occupants were in any way
connected to Muhammad.
Even so, there were no visible indications that
anyone had occupied the building recently.
Finding the property itself proved difficult
because, unlike adjoining buildings, it bore no visible house number.
It took the assistance of a resident, who requested
anonymity for security reasons, for Punch’s correspondents to identify the
exact building.
Two provision stores beside the property were open
for business, but both shop owners declined to comment, saying they knew
nothing about the matter.
Abimbola Street connects several busy roads,
including Markaz Road, Oniwaya Road, Owo Street, Adenle Street, Taiwo Dada
Street and Ayeni Street.
The street also hosts the popular Harisiyya Mosque,
widely known as the White Mosque, alongside several neighbourhood prayer
centres.
A 58-year-old food vendor, identified simply as
Hajia, said she found it difficult to reconcile the allegations with what she
had known about the community.
“This area is mainly occupied by Hausa people, but
I have never seen anything that would suggest criminal activities or terrorist
operations here.
“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 resident, Alhaji Suleiman Tijani, who said
he had 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.
“That particular house has been unoccupied for a
long time. Sometimes, I noticed people would come around to clean the place,
stay for a few days and leave, but they have never carried out any act that
could raise suspicion,” he said.
Tijani, however, disclosed that police patrol
vehicles appeared to have increased in the area shortly after the US
announcement.
“You know Markaz attracts important personalities
regularly, and security operatives often accompany them.
“But on Tuesday, I noticed police patrol vans
passing through this area about four different times. They simply drove around;
nobody was arrested and no resident was questioned.”
Another resident, identified simply as Auwal, said
he initially dismissed the reports until he heard them being discussed during a
newspaper review programme on the radio.
“I thought it was just another rumour. I know the
Americans have sophisticated technology for tracking people, but I never
imagined our street, which has never had any history of violence, could be
mentioned in connection with terrorism financing.”
He expressed concern that innocent residents could
become targets of indiscriminate security operations.
“My fear is that security agencies may start coming
here to arrest innocent residents while searching for this person,” Auwal said.
Meanwhile, not everyone in the community had heard
about the allegations.
A fashion designer, Mrs Angela Nwoboku, said she
only learnt about the development from Sunday PUNCH.
“I had not heard about it before now because nobody
informed me, and I have not seen it in the news. I have not noticed any change
in this area. Everything has remained the way it has always been. People go
about their normal businesses peacefully.”
She attributed the calm in the neighbourhood to the
influence of the Markaz Islamic Centre.
“I think the Muslim school here, Markaz, has
actually made this area peaceful and calm. We have always lived together
without problems.”
While urging residents not to jump to conclusions,
she appealed to security agencies to thoroughly investigate the allegations.
“I want the government to carry out proper due
diligence and establish whether the owners or occupants of that house truly
have anything to do with terrorism. It is important that innocent people are
not wrongly labelled because of where they live,” she added.
When contacted, the Lagos State Commissioner
for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, said the state government had no
plans to demolish the property identified by the US.
According to him, matters relating to terrorism and
national security fall within the jurisdiction of federal security agencies.
“The issue is beyond the Lagos State Government,”
Omotoso said.
It was gathered that although the EFCC and DSS had
concluded investigations into the suspects before the US announced sanctions
against them, none of those designated had been taken into custody as of
Saturday.
A top security official, who spoke on condition of
anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly on the matter, said
the suspects and their alleged associates were being tracked.
According to the source, terrorism financing
investigations require painstaking intelligence gathering because such networks
operate across multiple jurisdictions.
“Terrorism financing cases are very complex. The
networks are global and have to be trailed to identify their local
collaborators. It’s not a press-button thing. We are still on it.
“Those sanctioned by the U.S. are yet to be
arrested and are not in the custody of any Nigerian security agency, but
everything about them is known to the EFCC and DSS, which investigated them,”
the official said.
Responding to concerns that the delay could enable
the suspects to flee, the source dismissed the possibility.
“There’s no hiding place. The world is a global
village,” the official added.
Culled from the Punch
