US Congressman, Scott Perry, on February 13,2025 said that US aid agency, United States Agency for International Development, funded terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.
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.
He specifically said “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.”
However, human rights lawyer Emmanuel Ogebe who obtained U.S sanctions on terror group has debunked the claims. He stated his shock to see Perry’s comments adding that it took him a lot as the topmost global expert on Nigerian terrorism to work with the U.S. Congress to force President Obama’s designation of Boko Haram as a Foreign Terrorist Organization on November 13, 2013.
Ogebe noted that on several occasions the USAID refused to assist victims of terrorist attacks in Nigeria or the United States as a country discuss ransom even when its citizens were kidnapped adding that The U.S. prefers to send in their troops to rescue Americans than to give money to terrorists as they did in secret military operations in Sokoto and Kaduna.
In some of Ogebe’s letters written to the leadership pf USAID, it is clear that the organization focused more on health and environmental interventions with Ogebe raising concerns about USAID’s slow action in dealing decisively with Terrorists as it does in Israel.
Emmanuel Ogebe finds the attacks on USAID as merely giving a dog a bad name after hanging it.
Meanwhile, Senator Ali Ndume, a senator of the federal republic of Nigeria representing Borno south, a district which suffered a lot from Boko haram attacks has promised that these claims will be investigated.
Lagos State also receives grants from the United States to support 1. Stronger Democratic Institutions, Governance, and Respect for Human Rights 2. Increase Mutually Beneficial Trade and Investment and Strengthen Human Capital for Inclusive Nigerian Economic Growth and Human Development 3. Protect against Security Threats to U.S. Borders and interests, and further Nigerian Unity, Peace and Stability. With the heightened scrutiny over American aid Nigerian leaders would do well to utilize the grants judiciously for the intended purpose or they risk being withdrawn, thus impacting vulnerable people and institutions that need the grants.
