Senator Ali Ndume has called on the Federal Government to investigate claims that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) provided funding to Boko Haram and other terrorist organizations. The allegation was made by US Congressman Scott Perry during a hearing on government spending and fraud.
Perry, a Republican lawmaker from Pennsylvania, spoke at the first 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 concerns about taxpayer money being misused. During the hearing, Perry claimed that $697 million in US aid was being funneled to terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, ISIS, and Al-Qaeda.
He also alleged that USAID allocated $136 million to build 120 schools in Pakistan, but there was no evidence that these schools were actually constructed.
Reacting to the claim, Ndume, who represents Borno South, spoke on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics and urged the Nigerian government to take the matter seriously.
“You can’t say it’s just an allegation; it’s more than that.
“That’s why the Nigerian government and the National Assembly, especially, need to look into it to investigate and verify the veracity of such a very weighty allegation,” Ndume said.
The lawmaker added, “This development is very worrisome, especially because one of the terrorist organisations mentioned by Scott Perry is Boko Haram, and Boko Haram has ravaged not only the North-East but even other parts of Nigeria.
“You can remember Boko Haram bombed the police headquarters and the UN office in Abuja, and the casualties were enormous. So, the Nigerian government must be interested.
“I’m worried, but the Nigerian security agencies have raised this indirectly several times. Even the Borno State government was wary of the operations of the NGOs.”
Ndume also recalled previous incidents, including intelligence-led raids on USAID and UN offices in Maiduguri during the tenure of Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai, and another raid on an NGO suspected of training staff in firearm use.
“We have been wondering for all these years where these people are getting mone,” Ndume said.
