The Nigerian Senate has called on top security officials, including the National Security Adviser and the heads of the Department of State Services (DSS), National Intelligence Agency (NIA), and Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), to appear before it over allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) may be financing Boko Haram.
The decision to investigate the claims stemmed from a motion presented by Senator Ali Ndume, who urged lawmakers to address concerns that international organizations, including USAID, could be providing financial support to terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.
During the plenary, lawmakers discussed a viral video featuring U.S. Congressman Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, who claimed during a congressional hearing that USAID had been involved in funding terrorist activities globally, including Boko Haram.
Senator Ndume emphasized that these allegations emerged shortly after Nigeria’s Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, warned that terrorist organizations within the country were receiving external funding and training from international bodies.
The controversy follows Perry’s broader accusations that USAID has also supported groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Speaking at the inaugural session of an advisory committee established by former U.S. President Donald Trump to review government spending, Perry alleged that USAID’s $697 million budget included financial transfers to Islamic schools (madrasas), which he claimed have indirectly supported terrorist training camps and extremist activities.
Critics of Trump’s administration have previously accused him of attempting to undermine institutions like USAID and justify cutting foreign aid.
In January, Trump suspended all foreign assistance for 90 days, stating that the temporary halt was necessary to assess whether such funding aligned with American interests.
The Senate has vowed to thoroughly investigate the allegations and has directed security agencies to provide detailed reports on any evidence of foreign funding for terrorist organizations in Nigeria.