The United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, on Wednesday, dismissed allegations that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) funds Boko Haram or other terrorist organizations.
New Telegraph recalls that 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.
Mills made the clarification while meeting with members of the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja on Wednesday night, and said there that no evidence to back up the allegation.
According to him, no country condemns Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than the US and he assures that if any evidence is found, the US government will work with the Nigerian government to investigate it.
“There is absolutely no evidence of such diversion, and if we ever had evidence that any program funding was being misused by Boko Haram, we would immediately investigate it with our Nigerian partners.
“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.”
