The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has refuted allegations that the United States Agency for International Development is funding Boko Haram or any terrorist organisation.
Speaking after a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum in Abuja late Wednesday night, Mills emphasised that no nation condemns Boko Haram’s violence more strongly than the United States.
He assured that if any evidence of such funding were ever found, the US government would work closely with the Nigerian government to investigate and address it.
His statement follows accusations by US Congressman Scott Perry on February 13, in which he claimed that USAID was financing terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
Boko Haram, a terrorist group founded in 2002 by Mohammed Yusuf, has been responsible for thousands of deaths, the destruction of property worth billions of naira, and the displacement of countless families.
Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made his allegations during 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 alleged misappropriation 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 claimed.
Following these allegations, the Nigerian Senate has summoned the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, along with the heads of the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency, to address concerns regarding USAID’s purported involvement in terrorist financing.
However, in response to these claims, Ambassador Mills reiterated the US government’s firm policies against any aid diversion to terrorist groups.
“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 designated 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.”
Mills also addressed the misconception that President Donald Trump’s administration had cut US assistance to Nigeria. He clarified that the administration had only paused funding for 90 days to improve its effectiveness.
“No assistance has been cut yet, and no decisions have been made about the future of our assistance. In fact, 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.”
Beyond counterterrorism, Mills highlighted discussions with the 36 state governors on strengthening US-Nigeria relations.
“I explained to them that we are going to focus on four key priorities in the coming years. The first is improving the business environment to increase trade and investment between the United States and Nigeria.
“Second, a renewed focus on improving transparency and accountability in Nigeria, fighting corruption, and empowering Nigerian voices advocating for more transparency.
“Third, we want to be more engaged at the subnational level, at the state level, and with local governing authorities. I believe the embassy needs to engage more in this area as we develop our programs and assistance.
“Lastly, we discussed our health care programmes, which are a large part of US assistance to Nigeria. As these programmes succeed—such as reducing HIV cases and eradicating polio—we want to ensure their sustainability and transition them to the Nigerian government at the federal and state levels.”
Mills reaffirmed that the ultimate goal is to ensure the sustainability of these health programmes, allowing the Nigerian government to take full ownership and strengthen the country’s healthcare system for the future.