The Senate has declared intention to invite the country’s Intelligence Chiefs to provide insights into allegations of support granted to the insurgent group, Boko Haram, by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
A US Congressman, Scott Perry, had said that the US aid agency funded terrorist organisations, including the insurgents that ravaged Nigeria`s northeast region especially, and some other parts of the country, leaving untold hardship and destruction of lives and property in the trail.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim 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,” focused on alleged misappropriations of taxpayer funds.
“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, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.
In Nigeria, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, while addressing the issue said the intelligence chiefs are to be invited “because they have the data, they know the records and they will know the veracity of the situation.”
He called on Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) to “phrase his prayers in a way that we can let this issue rest.”
The Senate President continued, “I would like Senator Ningi to move a motion that we invite those people to brief the Senate in closed sessions before we can make comments in the open. But in the meantime we note the allegations and we also note the devastation that Boko Haram has caused this nation.
We commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for being able to tackle the situation to the point where no territory in the country today is hoisting the flag of Boko Haram. Whether we like it or not, he has done a very difficult job well. We must commend him across party lines.”
Those expected to appear before the Senate are the National Security Adviser (NSA), Director General Department of State Security Services (DSS), Director General of National Intelligence Agency (NIA) and the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
The invitation followed a motion of urgent importance moved by senator Mohammed Ali Ndume and seconded by Senator Abdul Ningi
Ndume had called on the senate to investigate the allegations by US Congressman, Scott Perry, who claimed that USAID funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram
Recall, in a post, Tuesday, X, the US Mission to Nigeria confirmed that monitoring systems are in place to track past assistance provided by the US government.
In a post via X , it added that the mission is set to investigate how past aid allocated to Nigeria and other countries has been utilised.
The U.S. Mission also strongly condemned the ongoing violence and loss of life caused by Boko Haram in Nigeria.
“Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to help verify that U.S. assistance reaches intended recipients. The United States condemns the violence and blatant disregard for human life perpetrated by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in Nigeria and the region.
“The Secretary of State designated Boko Haram a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 14, 2013 to block the organization’s assets and fundraising efforts, prosecute individual members, and restrict their travel to the United States.
“The United States continues to work with Nigeria and regional partners to counter terrorism,” the post read.
This development follows US President Donald Trump’s January 20, 2025, decision to suspend all foreign aid for 90 days, citing concerns about global destabilisation and misalignment with American interests.
The move responds to growing calls for a comprehensive review of USAID health funds.
Boko Haram, officially known as Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād, is a self-proclaimed jihadist terrorist organisation based in northeastern Nigeria and also active in Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali.
