U.N. Security Council blacklists Boko Haram leader, splinter group

People carry a banner with an image of Boko Haram leader?Abubakar?Shekau?as they protest for the release of the abducted secondary school girls in the remote village of Chibok, along a road in Lagos May 12, 2014. REUTERS/Akintunde Akinleye

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The United Nations Security Council sanctioned the leader of Nigeria's Boko Haram and a splinter group on Wednesday, the first individual and entity to be designated by the world body since the Islamist militant group was blacklisted, diplomats said.

Leader Abubakar Shekau and Boko Haram faction Ansaru will be banned from international travel and their assets frozen under the U.N. al Qaeda sanctions list.