The United States government has firmly rejected allegations of financing the Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria, emphasizing its commitment to stand alongside Nigeria in the fight against this terrorist group.
US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard M. Mills Jr., dismissed these claims during an interview with journalists following a closed-door meeting with governors from the 36 states of the federation, which began on Wednesday night and extended into the early hours of Thursday in Abuja.
The allegations were made by US Congressman Scott Perry, who claimed that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) supports terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram. Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made this assertion during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency the previous Thursday.
“Who receives some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anyone in the room? Because your money—$697 million annually, along with cash shipments to Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, and ISIS Khorasan, and terrorist training camps—is what it’s funding,” Perry stated.
Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation that has wreaked havoc across northern Nigeria, particularly in the North East region, and has also been active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. For over 15 years, the group has caused devastation in North East Nigeria, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths through various attacks on police, military forces, and civilians.
In response to Perry’s allegations, Ambassador Mills Jr. asserted, “There is absolutely no evidence that I have seen to support these claims. If we ever received evidence that programme funding was diverted to Boko Haram, we would launch an immediate investigation in collaboration with our Nigerian partners.
“I want to be unequivocal: when it comes to Boko Haram, the United States stands firmly with Nigeria in our desire to eradicate the scourge that this organisation represents.
“Let me be clear—there is no stronger ally of Nigeria in condemning the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram and their utter contempt for human life than the United States.
“We have designated Boko Haram as a foreign terrorist organisation since 2013, a classification that prevents Boko Haram from undertaking asset transfers to the United States, allows us to arrest and apprehend its members, and facilitates our cooperation in investigations with the Nigerian government.
“I assure you, we have established policies and procedures to ensure that USAID funding and all our assistance, whether from USAID, the Department of Defense, or the State Department, is never diverted to a terrorist group like Boko Haram.”
