The move in Nigeria comes after American Congressman Scott Perry alleged that the US agency sponsored extremist groups

Nigerian lawmakers have launched an inquiry into the operations of over a dozen non-profit organizations amid allegations that USAID, Washington's primary channel for sending money to causes abroad, financed terrorism in the West African country, several outlets reported on Wednesday.

According to AFP, the House of Representatives - the lower chamber of the Nigerian parliament - announced the move in a letter dated March 10 sent to the organizations, demanding financial statements covering the period from 2015 to 2024.

The probe of the NGOs, including Transparency International Nigeria and Global Rights, which are involved in human rights and accountability work, aims at "unraveling their real identities, sources of funding, and what they expend their monies on," the committee stated.

The committee said the investigation is a response to comments by US Congressman Scott Perry, who claimed last month that the main US development agency had funneled money to several terror groups, including Boko Haram in Nigeria.

Africa's most populous country has for years been a hotbed of terrorism, with Boko Haram carrying out frequent attacks. The group waged an armed insurgency in 2009 in a bid to establish an Islamic state in the region, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing millions.

US President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have repeatedly accused USAID of misusing taxpayer money and fostering corruption.

On February 19, Washington's ambassador in Abuja, Richard Mills, dismissed Perry's claims, telling journalists in the Nigerian capital that there was "no evidence" linking USAID to terror financing.

Leaders of some of the groups under investigation have called the move a targeted attack on their activities. "The Nigerian government has increasingly used regulatory and financial oversight mechanisms to suppress organizations that challenge its policies. This is a blatant attempt to shut down dissent," Abiodun Baiyewu, director of Global Rights, said, according to local outlet Naija247news.

Auwal Ibrahim Musa, director of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre and head of anti-corruption group Transparency International Nigeria, also reportedly denounced the probe as a "witch hunt aimed at silencing civil society organizations that advocate for transparency and good governance."

House of Representatives spokesperson Akin Rotimi told Reuters that the remarks by the US congressman were "too weighty to be dismissed," arguing that the probe is not intended to harass the organizations.

"It is to gain a clearer understanding of how these funds have been managed over the years to determine whether there have been any lapses," he said.

(RT.com)