THE United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has denied allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Boko Haram or any other terrorist organisation.
Mills said the US had strict policies in place to prevent diversion of funds to terrorist groups and that there was no evidence to support the claim.
His submission followed Congressman Scott Perry’s accusation that USAID funded terror groups, including Boko Haram.
The allegation sparked controversies that led to the Nigerian Senate summoning security chiefs to investigate the development.
Addressing journalists after a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) in Abuja on Wednesday, February 19, Mills said no nation condemned Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than the US.
He explained that President Donald Trump’s administration did not cut assistance but implemented a 90-day break to develop ways to make USAID more functional.
“US Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has said that this is not about ending foreign assistance to our partners like Nigeria. It’s about making our assistance more effective and aligning it with US government policies and interests.
“That’s what this 90-day pause is for. However, there are waivers for life-saving assistance, such as support for HIV patients, maternal and child nutrition, and internally displaced people. So that continues. In 90 days, we will know where we stand,” he stated.
Mills reassured that the US and Nigeria would continue to work closer on counterterrorism and that if any evidence of diverted funds was found, the US would immediately investigate in collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
Recall that a US Congressman, Scott Perry, accused the embattled USAID of allegedly funding terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram, although he did not provide any evidence to back his claims.
Perry made the allegation during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency (DOGE) on Thursday, February 13.
In his presentation titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,“ Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, asked several questions about USAID’s operations.
In a viral video, Perry queried, “Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your 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.”
He claimed that USAID spent $136 million to build 120 schools in Pakistan, but there was no evidence that the schools were ever constructed.
Perry in the past has made allegations without evidence. The Washington Post noted that he played a key role in promoting false claims of fraud following the last US presidential election. In 2018, he was also accused of linking ISIS with the Las Vegas massacre without substantiating the claim.
Following his allegation, the Nigerian Senate on Wednesday, February 19, summoned the country’s security chiefs over an allegation that the USAID funded terrorism in Nigeria.
Security chiefs invited include the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Directorate of Intelligence Agency (DIA), State Security Services (SSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA).
The ICIR reports that Boko Haram is a terrorist organisation based in northeastern Nigeria. The group has carried out numerous violent attacks, including massacres and mass abductions, such as the killing of 59 schoolchildren and the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in 2014.
The USAID has been under fire since Donald Trump was sworn in as president on January 20. The administration immediately revealed its plan to dismantle the organisation.
The ICIR reported that USAID announced that it would be placing its staff on administrative leave, both in the US and abroad, following Trump’s decision.
The move, seen as controversial by many, sparked widespread criticisms from Democrats and human rights organisations, who argued that it would have a devastating impact on global humanitarian efforts.
The USAID supports health and emergency programmes in over 120 countries, including some of the world’s poorest regions.
The decision to restrict USAID’s activities is led by billionaire Elon Musk.
Musk, considered a “special government employee” by the White House, heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
He has been vocal in his criticism of USAID, describing it as a hub of “radical-left Marxists” who are anti-American.
A reporter with the ICIR
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