Former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Samson Ayokunle, has sharply criticized US Congressman Scott Perry for his belated claim that USAID has been funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram, in Nigeria.
Speaking on the Friday edition of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, the cleric expressed his frustration: “I will blame the international community, especially the United States Congress.” He questioned why such serious allegations are surfacing now rather than earlier, arguing that had the truth been known long ago, Nigeria would have been better prepared to address the issue.
Recalling the days when former President Goodluck Jonathan appealed to the United States—appeals that were rebuffed during President Obama’s term due to concerns over Nigeria’s military practices—Ayokunle emphasized that CAN had long warned about the role of foreign sponsors in funding terrorist groups in Nigeria, supplying them with cash and arms. “Now, it is coming out. USAID is now alleged to be behind the sponsorship of Boko Haram in Nigeria,” he asserted.
He went further, questioning the rationale behind Congressman Perry’s allegations: “Can he be very irrational and just be talking with every side of his mouth? You can’t take such a caliber of individual for granted. For what reason would the congressman implicate an organisation of his own country?” Ayokunle also faulted the country’s intelligence agencies, such as Customs and Immigration, for failing to uncover the source of terror funding until these accusations were made public.
Calling on the Federal Government to launch a full investigation, he stressed the urgency of blocking all sources of terror funding: “The Nigerian government should investigate how a foreign organisation is distributing money and weapons to a terrorist group in Nigeria, and if nobody has discovered that, it means their roof is leaking. It’s not too late; this war must be brought to an end. And every source of funding beyond that of USAID must be investigated and blocked, henceforth. Enough is enough.”
In a related development, the Nigerian Senate has summoned top intelligence chiefs to address these allegations, while US Ambassador to Nigeria Richard Mills dismissed the claim that USAID funds Boko Haram, affirming that the United States stands firmly against such practices.
This dispute comes as Boko Haram continues to wreak havoc in Nigeria’s troubled North-East, where the group has killed thousands and displaced millions.
