The President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has stated that Nigeria will not allow the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to continue operating in the country if it is found guilty of sponsoring terrorism.
Speaking during a plenary session on Wednesday, Akpabio stressed the need to ascertain the veracity of the claim that USAID has been funding Boko Haram in Nigeria.
“If it is true that USAID has been funding Boko Haram in Nigeria, we have no business allowing them to have offices in Nigeria. So, before we can take decisive steps and also ask for recompense, automatically, we must go deeper into the issue,” Akpabio said.
This was as the Senate summoned the heads of security and intelligence agencies to investigate the allegations made by U.S. Congressman Perry Scott, who claimed that USAID has been funding terrorist organizations, including Boko Haram in Nigeria.
The resolution for an investigation followed an Order of Urgent National Security raised by Senator Mohammed Ndume (Borno South), under Order 41.
Ndume emphasized the need for a thorough probe, citing the devastating impact of Boko Haram’s activities in Nigeria. He argued that an investigation would help dispel speculation about how non-state actors have managed to sustain their operations over the years.
The summoned security intelligence chiefs include the Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Chief of the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Security Adviser (NSA).
Senate President, Akpabio endorsed the resolution but emphasized that security matters should be handled with discretion.
“Such issues are best addressed behind closed doors,” Akpabio said, assuring that intelligence chiefs would provide the Senate with a clearer perspective during a private briefing.
Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), a co-sponsor of the motion, proposed an amendment to ensure that security chiefs brief senators in a closed-door session first. He argued that an open debate would not adequately address the gravity of the allegations.
“At this point, whatever is written here is relevant. However, it is almost impossible to do justice to the issues raised in this motion in an open debate. We do not need an elaborate discussion on this matter; we need to be briefed by security agencies first in a closed-door session,” Ningi stated.
He added: “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.”
The Senate agreed to Ningi’s proposal and scheduled a closed-door session with the intelligence chiefs before making any further public statements.