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, a Sunday PUNCH investigation has revealed.

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.

When Sunday PUNCH visited 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, it found a locked building 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 told Sunday PUNCH that 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 our 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.

No plan to demolish structure

When contacted by Sunday PUNCH, 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.

EFCC, DSS yet to make arrests

Sunday PUNCH learnt that although investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Department of State Services had reached an advanced stage, no arrests had been made.

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.

The disclosure came days after EFCC sources told Sunday PUNCH that the commission had commenced investigations into Muhammad and the three Bureau De Change companies linked to him before the United States announced sanctions against them.

Officials familiar with the probe said investigators had substantially concluded their work and were preparing criminal charges when the US government designated the suspects.

“We investigated these individuals and the BDC companies for terrorism financing and were preparing charges against them when the U.S. sanctioned them,” an EFCC source said.

Although the EFCC has yet to issue an official statement, sources familiar with the investigation said the probe focused on alleged terrorism financing, suspicious financial transactions and possible links to terrorist operations.

The commission has yet to disclose when criminal charges will be filed.

Companies listed on CAC

Checks by Sunday PUNCH on the Corporate Affairs Commission portal showed that Generation Currency Bureau De Change Limited was incorporated in Lagos on January 24, 2019, but its status is currently listed as inactive.

The second company, Manhattan Bureau De Change Limited, was incorporated on March 1, 2021, and remains active, while the third, Nine to Nine Exchange Bureau De Change Limited, was registered on January 8, 2018, with its status also listed as inactive.

Although the CAC portal did not disclose the identities of the companies’ directors, further checks by Sunday PUNCH on another company search platform, NG-Check.com, revealed the names of the directors, secretary and shareholders.

The records listed Adamu Muhammad Mukhar and Chiroma Adamu as directors of the three companies. Mukhar was also listed as the company secretary, while Adamu Chiroma Fatima and Adamu Chiroma Maryam were named as shareholders. (Sunday PUNCH)

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