The United States government has firmly denied claims that funds from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) are being used to support Boko Haram or any other terrorist group.

The clarification came from the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills, after a meeting with the Nigeria Governors Forum in Abuja on Wednesday night.

Ambassador Mills said that the United States strongly condemns Boko Haram’s violent activities and remains committed to helping Nigeria combat terrorism. He assured Nigerians that if any evidence ever surfaced showing USAID funds being misused for terrorism, the US government would work closely with Nigerian authorities to investigate the matter immediately.

The controversy began on February 13 when US Congressman Scott Perry accused USAID of indirectly funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram. Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, made the claim during a hearing held by the Subcommittee on Delivering Government Efficiency. The hearing, titled “The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,” focused on ensuring that taxpayer funds are used appropriately.

During the session, Perry stated, “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.”

Following these accusations, the Nigerian Senate called on the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alongside the heads of the National Intelligence Agency and the Defence Intelligence Agency, to investigate the claims and ensure that no funds were reaching terrorist organizations.

Ambassador Mills made it clear that the United States has strict measures in place to prevent its aid from being misused. He 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 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.”

The Ambassador also addressed concerns about potential cuts to US assistance. He clarified that the current administration had not cut aid but had implemented a 90-day review to make foreign assistance more effective.

The Ambassador revealed that he shared with the governors, the US Embassy’s vision for strengthening ties with Nigeria. He highlighted four key areas of focus: improving the business environment for trade and investment, enhancing transparency and accountability to fight corruption, increasing engagement with state and local governments, and ensuring the sustainability of healthcare programs.

He stated, “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.”