The United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, has responded to the allegation that United States Agency for International Development, USAID is funding Boko Haram in Nigeria
He pointed out that it is not true as there are no evidences to proof such.
The US Ambassador who stated this on Wednesday, after meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja, averred, “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”.
He therefore assured that the US Government will joining forces with the Nigerian Government to tackle the issue if such becomes the case.
He continued, “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.”
It would be recalled that Congressman Scott Perry on February 13, accused USAID of funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
The lawmaker, Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made this statement during the first hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency.
Discover more from NATIONAL BEAM
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
