The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has claimed that there is no evidence to prove that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.
Speaking after a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja late Wednesday, Mills emphasised that no country condemns the violence perpetrated by Boko Haram more strongly than the United States.
He further assured that if any credible evidence of such claims surfaces, the U.S. government would collaborate with Nigerian authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly.
Mills said: “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 labelled 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.
“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.
“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.
“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.”
On February 13, Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, accused USAID of funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
He made these claims during the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
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