Senator Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South Senatorial District, has urged the Federal Government to investigate allegations made by U.S. Congressman Scott Perry that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) allegedly funded terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.
“You can’t say it’s just an allegation; it’s more than that,” Ndume said during an interview on Sunday Politics on Channels Television. “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.”
The long-serving senator emphasized that Nigeria should take the claim seriously, as there have been lingering suspicions that some foreign humanitarian organizations operating in the insurgency-affected North-East might be supporting terrorist 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.
Ndume also recalled past incidents in which Nigerian security agencies raised concerns about certain NGOs operating in the region. “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,” he stated.
“We have been wondering for all these years where these people are getting money,” Ndume added.
The senator also pointed out the devastating effects of Boko Haram’s insurgency, noting that millions have been displaced and over 50,000 people killed in nearly two decades of violence across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states.
He further argued that Nigeria should transition from receiving foreign aid to becoming a donor nation. “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 said.
“This is like a wake-up 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.”
