On February 13, U.S. Congressman Scott Perry accused USAID of funding terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram. Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made this claim during the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
The session, called “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on allegations of mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.
Perry argued that USAID’s financial activities had directly supported global terror groups like Boko Haram, Al-Qaeda, and ISIS.
He suggested that USAID’s $697 million annual budget, which includes cash payments to Islamic schools (madrasas), might have unintentionally funded extremist training camps and terrorist organizations.
Perry said, “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.”
No Evidence USAID Funds Boko Haram In Nigeria – US Ambassador
Richard Mills, the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, has dismissed allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.
In a meeting with members of the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja on Wednesday night, Mills stressed that there is no evidence to back such claims.
He reiterated that the United States condemns Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than any other nation and assured that if any evidence supporting these allegations is found, the U.S. government will work with Nigeria to investigate it.
“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. 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.”
