Richard Mills, the US ambassador to Nigeria, refutes claims that Boko Haram or another terrorist organization is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID).
There is no evidence to support the claim, Mills said during a meeting with Nigeria Governors Forum attendees on Wednesday night in Abuja.
He reassured that if any proof is discovered, the US government would work with the Nigerian government to investigate it and that no other country is as strongly against Boko Haram’s violence as the US.
“We would immediately investigate this issue with our Nigerian partners if we ever had any proof that any program funding was being abused by Boko Haram,” Mills said. “There is absolutely no evidence of such diversion.”
“We cooperate in investigations with the Nigerian government. I can assure you that we have strict rules and procedures in place to prevent terrorist organizations like Boko Haram from receiving any funding or other US assistance from USAID, the Department of Defense, or the State Department.
The United States joins Nigeria in wanting to eradicate the scourge that this organization represents, so the United States does so.
There is no friend of Nigeria that is more emphatic about condemning Boko Haram’s brutality and disregard for human life than the United States, let me be clear. Since 2013, we have authorized Boko Haram to be a foreign terrorist organization, preventing it from transferring assets to the US and allowing us to detain and seize its members.
READ ALSO: Senate Summons NSA, DSS Boss Over Allegations Against USAID
USAID Funded Boko Haram?
On February 13, a US Congressman, Scott Perry, accused USAID of funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, claimed during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
The session, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud”, examined allegations of misappropriation of taxpayer funds.
Perry said that USAID’s financial activities have directly benefited terror groups worldwide, including Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.
He alleged that USAID’s annual budget of $697 million, including cash payments to Islamic schools (madrasas), may have inadvertently financed extremist training camps and terror groups.
“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.
Senate Summons Ribadu, Service Chiefs
Worried by the allegation, the Senate, on Wednesday, summoned the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency, Mohammed Mohammed, and his State Security Services counterpart, Oluwatosin Ajayi, over claims that the USAID had funded global terror groups, including Boko Haram.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, who announced this during the plenary said they will appear before the lawmakers in a closed-door session to verify the allegations.
The Borno South Senator, Ali Ndume, sponsored the motion that called for the summons to the security heads.
While presenting his motion, Ndume lamented the persistent threat posed by Boko Haram despite the federal government’s financial investments in counter-terrorism operations.
He emphasized the need to establish the truth behind the allegations of USAID funding.
He pleaded with the Senate to invite the NSA, NIA, and SSS (also known as the Department of State Services) to participate.
Senator Kaka Shehu, a senator from Borno Central, supported the motion, noting how little Boko Haram’s activities had been properly investigated by previous ad-hoc committees of the National Assembly.
Abdul Ningi, the senator for Bauchi Central, also emphasized the need to persuade security officials to clarify the situation.
Source: Channels TV
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