By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Reporter
ALLEGATIONS THAT the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funds Boko Haram or other terrorist groups lack evidence, according to US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills.
He dismissed the claim while addressing members of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Mills stressed that no country condemns Boko Haram’s violence more than the United States.
He assured that if any evidence of USAID funding being misused were found, the US government would work with Nigerian authorities to investigate it.
He stated that strict policies are in place to prevent the diversion of US assistance to terrorist groups.
“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 said.
“We cooperate in investigations with the Nigerian government and 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.”
The ambassador reaffirmed the US commitment to Nigeria’s fight against terrorism. He highlighted that the US designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation in 2013, blocking the group from transferring assets to the US and enabling legal action against its members.
The controversy arose after US Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, alleged that USAID funds terror groups, including Boko Haram.
Perry made the claim on February 13 during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud.”
He accused USAID of financial mismanagement, asserting that its $697 million annual budget had inadvertently benefited extremist groups through cash payments to Islamic schools (madrasas) and other avenues.
“Who gets some of that money? Your money—$697 million annually, plus shipments of cash funds to madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and ISIS Khorasan. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry stated.
His allegations triggered a response from the Nigerian Senate, which on Wednesday summoned National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency Mohammed Mohammed, and the Director-General of the State Security Services (SSS), Oluwatosin Ajayi, to verify the claims.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced that the security heads would appear before lawmakers in a closed-door session to discuss the matter.
The resolution to summon security chiefs followed a motion by Borno South Senator Ali Ndume, who raised concerns over the persistent threat posed by Boko Haram despite the federal government’s financial investments in counterterrorism.
Ndume stressed the need for a thorough investigation into the validity of Perry’s claims.
Supporting the motion, Borno Central Senator Kaka Shehu noted that previous legislative inquiries into Boko Haram’s funding had failed to curb the insurgency.
Bauchi Central Senator Abdul Ningi also emphasized the necessity of compelling security officials to clarify the matter.
The motion gained widespread support among senators when put to a vote by the Senate president.
Mills, responding to concerns over US foreign aid, stated that President Donald Trump’s administration had not cut assistance but instead implemented a 90-day review period to assess the effectiveness of USAID programmes.
He added that life-saving initiatives, such as HIV treatment, maternal and child nutrition, and support for internally displaced persons, remained unaffected.
“The 90-day pause is about making our assistance more effective and aligning it with US government policies and interests. However, there are waivers for critical humanitarian assistance, and that continues,” Mills explained.
The US envoy reiterated that the United States and Nigeria remain committed to collaborating on counterterrorism efforts.
If any evidence of diverted funds emerges, he assured that the US would work with Nigerian authorities to address it immediately.
Perry, who has a history of making unsubstantiated claims, previously linked ISIS to the Las Vegas shooting without evidence.
The Washington Post also reported his role in promoting false claims of fraud in the last US presidential election.
Meanwhile, Boko Haram continues its insurgency in Nigeria, carrying out violent attacks, including mass abductions and killings.
The terrorist group has been responsible for atrocities such as the 2014 kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls and the massacre of 59 schoolchildren in Borno State.
