The former President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev Samson Ayokunle, has remarked that the assertion made by US Congressman Scott Perry, which claims that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has financially supported terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, is overdue.
OsunDailyNG reports that Ayokunle made these comments during the Friday episode of Inside Sources with Laolu Akande, a socio-political show broadcast on Channels Television.
The cleric noted that CAN had previously sounded the alarm about foreign backing and a consistent flow of funds and weapons to terrorist groups in Nigeria, but their warnings were misinterpreted.
He emphasized that the allegations made by the US congressman must not be ignored.
The former CAN president criticized the inadequate intelligence of the security agencies, stating that they had failed to trace the origins of terror financing until the US congressman’s disclosure.
“I will blame the international community, especially the United States Congress.
“If they knew this truth a long time ago, why are they coming out now? Is it not almost too late? Why did they allow this type of thing to be done to Nigeria?”, he asked.
OsunDailyNG reports that there has been a series of allegations that former U.S. President Barack Obama played a role in the sponsorship of Boko Haram or facilitated terrorism in Nigeria.
These speculations, however, have been dismissed by a Counterterrorism and Security Expert in the Lake Chad Region, Zagazola Makama, stating that there is no credible evidence to support such claims.
The expert, who spoke in response to recent assertions, clarified that while the Obama administration restricted Nigeria from purchasing certain arms due to human rights concerns, there is no record of the U.S. government directly funding or supporting Boko Haram.
He noted that Boko Haram emerged as a local terrorist organization in 2009 and remained largely homegrown until 2015 when it pledged allegiance to ISIS.
“During this period, Boko Haram relied on local sources of funding, including robberies of communities where they attacked, kidnappings for ransom, and extortion of communities under their control.
“The government at the time struggled to contain their expansion, leading to the group occupying vast territories in Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states,” Makama explained in an exclusive interaction with OsunDailyNG correspondent.
