Thursday, February 20, 2025 - The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has dismissed allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds Boko Haram or any other terrorist organization.
Speaking in Abuja on Wednesday night during a meeting with members of
the Nigeria Governors Forum, Mills stated that there is no evidence to support
the claims.
“There is absolutely no evidence of such diversion, and if we ever had
evidence that any programme funding was being misused by Boko Haram, we would
immediately investigate it with our Nigerian partners,” he said.
Mills assured that the U.S. government has strict policies to prevent
USAID or any other U.S. assistance from being diverted to terrorist groups.
“We cooperate in investigations with the Nigerian government. I can
assure you that we have strict policies and procedures to ensure that USAID
funding or any other US assistance, whether from USAID, the Department of
Defence, or the State Department, is not diverted to terrorist groups like Boko
Haram.
“So, when it comes to Boko Haram, the United States stands with Nigeria
in wanting to rid this country of the scourge that this organisation represents
“Let me be clear—there is no friend of Nigeria stronger in condemning
Boko Haram’s violence and disregard for human life than the United States. We
have designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation since 2013,
blocking the group from transferring assets to the US and allowing us to arrest
and seize its members.”
On February 13, U.S. Congressman Scott Perry accused USAID of funding
terrorist groups, including Boko Haram. Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania,
made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering
on Government Efficiency, in a session titled The War on Waste:
Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud.
He alleged that USAID’s financial activities had directly benefited
terror groups worldwide, including Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.
“Who gets some of that money? Your money, $697 million annually, plus
the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS
Khorasan, and terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry
stated.
Concerned by the allegations, the Nigerian Senate summoned the National
Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu; the Director-General of the National
Intelligence Agency (NIA), Mohammed Mohammed; and the Director-General of the
State Security Services (SSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, who announced the decision during
plenary on Wednesday, February 19, said the security officials would appear in
a closed-door session to verify the claims.
The resolution to summon the security heads followed a motion sponsored
by Borno South Senator Ali Ndume, who expressed concern over the persistent
threat posed by Boko Haram despite the federal government’s financial
investments in counterterrorism. Ndume stressed the urgent need to determine
the validity of the allegations, stating, “There must be clarity on this
matter.”
Borno Central Senator Kaka Shehu, who seconded the motion, noted that
previous ad hoc committees of the National Assembly had investigated Boko
Haram’s operations without effectively curbing their activities.
Bauchi Central Senator Abdul Ningi also emphasized the necessity of
compelling security heads to clarify the issue. The motion was widely supported
by the senators when put to vote by the Senate President.
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