U.S. Sanctions Nigeria for Christian Persecution While Accused of Funding Boko Haram

In the March 12 hearing of the U.S. House of Representatives on religious persecution in Nigeria, Africa Subcommittee Chairman Chris Smith urged Congress and the Trump administration to impose sanctions on Nigeria. This is to serve as a penalty for the failure of the Nigerian government to stop the persecution of Christians by the extremist group, Boko Haram. Smith’s proposal is intended to assist in managing the gruesome price tag of the insurgency, but it is proposed at a time of counter-accusations that question Washington’s role in funding the terrorist group.

Boko Haram’s Reign of Terror

Since 2009, Boko Haram has been on a merciless quest to overthrow Nigeria’s government and create a strict version of Sharia law in the country, particularly in northern states.

The group’s violence has devastated the Lake Chad region, displacing 2.4 million people by 2021. In the Borno State, where the attacks have been focused, a January 2025 attack left 40 civilians dead a minority of the 38,000 people killed there between 2011 and 2023.

The insurgents’ actions have destabilized Nigeria for a while now, and Smith’s call for sanctions seems like a sensible step to force Abuja’s hand.

Allegations of U.S. Funding Boko Haram

In a bombshell allegation, Congressman Scott Perry alleged on February 13, 2025, that the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has given aid to terror organizations like Boko Haram, Al Qaeda, and ISIS.

Perry’s allegations reinforce longstanding Nigerian suspicions of foreign assistance of terrorism in the nation. Five days later, on 18 February, Nigeria’s former Foreign Minister Bolaji Akinyemi lent gravity to these claims, citing investigations, which uncovered reports of foreigners providing weapons and logistics to Boko Haram militants. The allegations paint a troubling picture of external forces empowering the very threat Nigeria is now being sanctioned for failing to contain.

The irony is bitter: even as the U.S. threatens to impose sanctions to counter the persecution of Christians by Boko Haram, it stands accused of financially supporting the group. Critics point to America’s track record of arming insurgents to destabilize nations, then intervening afterward in the name of heroism. Nigerians have long been suspicious of foreign powers strengthening the hand of Boko Haram, and the testimony of Perry and Akinyemi lends validity to these suspicions. If so, America would be both the designer and arbiter of Nigeria’s living hell.

Boko Haram certainly threatens Nigeria’s security, its deadly attacks and extremist ambitions tearing the country asunder. Smith’s demand for sanctions may be to protect vulnerable Christians in the north, but the prospect of American complicity in the insurgents’ funding blurs the picture.

The question is: can Washington credibly sanction Nigeria for a crisis it may have helped create? The answer hinges on whether these allegations hold up, and whether the U.S. can reconcile its “Captain America” image with a legacy of covert meddling.

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