U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., has strongly denied allegations that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Boko Haram.
Speaking after a presentation at the Nigerian Governors’ Forum, he stated there is no evidence supporting these claims and emphasized that robust monitoring systems are in place to ensure U.S. assistance is not misappropriated.
Mills highlighted that Boko Haram has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 2013, which allows the U.S. to cooperate with Nigeria in investigations and prevent any asset transfers to the group.
He challenged anyone with evidence of misappropriation to come forward, assuring that such claims would be thoroughly investigated in collaboration with Nigerian authorities.
Furthermore, Mills clarified that recent pauses in U.S. financial aid were aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of assistance rather than cutting it entirely, reaffirming the U.S. commitment to combat Boko Haram’s violence.