The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has dismissed claims that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.
Speaking at a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja on Wednesday night, Mills insisted that there is no evidence to support the allegations. He assured that if any proof of misuse of USAID funds by terrorist groups were found, the US government would investigate alongside Nigerian authorities.
“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,” Mills stated.
The allegations originated from US Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who, during a congressional hearing on February 13, accused USAID of indirectly financing terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS. Perry claimed that USAID’s $697 million annual budget might have been used to fund extremist training camps.
“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 alleged.
The accusations have raised concerns in Nigeria, prompting the Senate to summon key security officials, including National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Mohammed Mohammed, and State Security Services (DSS) chief Oluwatosin Ajayi. Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that they would appear before lawmakers in a closed-door session to address the claims.
Senator Ali Ndume, who sponsored the motion, expressed concern over the continued threat of Boko Haram despite the Nigerian government’s financial investments in counter-terrorism. He emphasized the need to verify the allegations against USAID.
While the US has strongly condemned Boko Haram’s activities and designated it a foreign terrorist organization since 2013, the controversy surrounding the funding claims has fueled further debate on international involvement in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
