ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- The Senator representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has called on the Federal Government to probe a claim by U.S. Congressman Scott Perry that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) indirectly funded terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
The former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army stated on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics programme that, “You can’t say it’s just an allegation; it’s more than that.
“That’s why the Nigerian government and the National Assembly, especially, need to look into it to investigate and verify the veracity of such a very weighty allegation.”
Ndume, who has been in the National Assembly for over two decades, emphasized that the Nigerian government must take the U.S. congressman’s claims seriously, particularly given long-standing suspicions that foreign humanitarian agencies operating in the North-East may have indirectly supported insurgent activities.
“This development is very worrisome, especially because one of the terrorist organisations mentioned by Scott Perry is Boko Haram, and Boko Haram has ravaged not only the North-East but even (other parts of) Nigeria,” he said.
Senator Ndume recalled the devastating impact of Boko Haram’s attacks, including bombings of the police headquarters and the United Nations office in Abuja, which resulted in significant casualties.
“I’m worried, but the Nigerian security agencies have raised this indirectly several times. Even the Borno State government was wary of the operations of the NGOs,” Ndume added.
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He cited previous incidents where Nigerian authorities acted on intelligence reports regarding suspicious activities linked to some NGOs.
“I remember during the period of (Lieutenant General Tukur) Buratai, the Nigerian Army got intelligence and even raided the office of USAID or United Nations in Maiduguri.
“There was also a time when the governor got intelligence, and security agencies raided one NGO that was providing training to some of their staff on how to use guns.
“We have been wondering for all these years where these people are getting money.”
Ndume further stressed that Nigeria, as a nation with vast resources, should be giving humanitarian assistance to other countries rather than depending on foreign aid.
“This issue of relying on aid from other countries is not even good for us because Nigeria, by now, is supposed to be the one that is giving out aid and not receiving aid,” he argued.
“This is like a wake-up call for all of us in government. We have everything; the only problem is the leadership. We need to fix that so that we’ll tap into what we have and be content.”
The lawmaker noted that nearly two decades of insurgency in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states have displaced millions of people and claimed over 50,000 lives.
He urged the government to take decisive steps to address internal security challenges and economic mismanagement that have hindered national progress.