Senate summons security chiefs over alleged USAID terrorism funding

The Nigerian Senate has called on top intelligence and security chiefs to investigate claims made by U.S. Congressman Perry Scott, alleging that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has been funding terrorist groups, including Boko Haram.

This decision came after Senator Mohammed Ndume (Borno South) raised the issue under Order 41, citing the urgent need for a thorough probe into the matter. Ndume stressed that the Senate must take the claim seriously, given the destruction caused by terrorist activities in the country.

“The revelation is concerning, and we must investigate it properly to put an end to speculation about how non-state actors have been able to operate for so long,” Ndume said.

In response, the Senate summoned the heads of key intelligence and security agencies, including the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA), for a briefing on the issue.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio supported the resolution but emphasized that discussions on national security matters should be held behind closed doors. He stated that intelligence chiefs would provide a clearer picture of the situation in a confidential session with senators.

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Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), who co-sponsored the motion, proposed an amendment to ensure that security chiefs first brief the Senate privately before any public deliberation.

“At this point, whatever is written is relevant, but it is almost impossible to do justice to this issue in an open debate,” Ningi said.

He further added, “We do not need an elaborate discussion on this matter; we need to be briefed by security agencies first in a closed-door session. Let’s focus on one key action—inviting the NSA, the DG of NIA, and the DSS for a confidential session with the Senate on this matter. This is their duty; this is what they are funded to do. With the security chiefs’ briefing, we can proceed based on the facts they provide.”

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