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The United States government has launched an investigation into how past foreign aid allocated to Nigeria and other nations has been utilized.
This follows President Donald Trump’s decision on January 20, 2025, to suspend all foreign aid for 90 days, citing concerns over global instability and potential misalignment with American interests.
The decision comes amid increasing demands for a thorough review of U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) health funds.
During a congressional hearing last Thursday, U.S. Representative Scott Perry, a Republican from Pennsylvania, alleged that USAID had inadvertently funded terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram.
Boko Haram, formally known as *Jamā’at Ahl as-Sunnah lid-Da’wah wa’l-Jihād*, is a jihadist terrorist group based in northeastern Nigeria, with activities extending to Chad, Niger, northern Cameroon, and Mali. The group has waged a violent insurgency for over 15 years, resulting in tens of thousands of deaths and numerous attacks on security forces and civilians.
“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money—$697 million annually—plus cash shipments in madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry claimed.
In response, the U.S. Mission to Nigeria reaffirmed that strict monitoring and evaluation mechanisms are in place to track past U.S. assistance.
“Comprehensive monitoring and evaluation systems are in place to help verify that U.S. assistance reaches its intended recipients. The United States condemns the violence and blatant disregard for human life perpetrated by Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in Nigeria and the region,” the U.S. Mission stated in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday.
The statement also emphasized that Boko Haram has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) since November 14, 2013, a move that enables the U.S. government to block its assets, prosecute members, and impose travel restrictions.
“The United States continues to work with Nigeria and regional partners to counter terrorism,” the statement concluded.
