A youth group has urged the Federal Government to investigate the allegations of funding of Boko Haram by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
Head of Communications African Youth Assembly for Peace (AYAP), Mr Abdul-Aziz Yusuf, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja.
He described as grave the allegations by U.S. Congressman Scott Perry of Pennsylvania, that USAID was funding activities of terrorist groups, including ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Boko Haram.
“This is a weighty allegation, and any serious country must address such claims with urgency,” he said.
He said that an independent investigative panel should be constituted considering the devastating impact of the ongoing Boko Haram’s insurgency in Nigeria.
Yusuf said that the panel should include experts in security, finance, and international relations.
He advised that the panel should gather evidence, interview stakeholders, and review financial records related to USAID funding in Nigeria.
This review, he suggested, would help identify any suspicious transactions or patterns of funding.
As a precaution, Yusuf called for the government to empower the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs to monitor the activities of both local and international Non-Governmental Organisations operating in Nigeria.
He recommended that the country enhanced its whistleblowing systems, providing protection for individuals reporting suspicious activities by these organisations.
“Nigeria should also strengthen its counter-terrorism laws to prevent terrorism financing, improve intelligence gathering and sharing, and disrupt terrorist networks,” Yusuf said. (NAN)
