A retired Nigerian soldier has made alarming allegations, claiming that former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration and the All Progressives Congress (APC) undermined the fight against Boko Haram terrorists during former President Goodluck Jonathan’s government, allowing the terrorists to gain the upper hand against the country’s armed forces.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the soldier stated that Jonathan’s administration had made significant progress against Boko Haram with the help of foreign machinery from Ukraine, Russia, and retired soldiers from the United States.
However, when Buhari took office, he allegedly halted the foreign support, allowing Boko Haram to regroup and rearm.
The soldier also alleged that the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria and that the US and UK governments sabotaged Jonathan’s administration in collaboration with the APC.
The source provided details on how the Jonathan administration had acquired T-75 tanks from Ukraine and Russia, which were then transported to South Africa, where Nigerian soldiers were trained to operate them.
However, the APC allegedly informed the US and South African governments about the transaction, leading to the seizure of the plane used to transport the funds.
The soldier’s allegations also include claims that Buhari’s administration frustrated the military’s efforts to combat Boko Haram, and that the government was aware of the terrorist group’s activities and was using them against the army.
The source said: “In respect of this news trending about USAID, some of the funds raised for Africa were being used to fund Boko Haram.
“First of all, when Goodluck Jonathan was in power and we needed support from the US and Britain, they denied us, and Goodluck had to go to Ukraine and Russia to get all these T-75 tanks.
“Those tanks arrived in South Africa and the Nigerian Army could not operate them so they had to come with experts – retired soldiers there to teach Nigerian soldiers how to handle the tanks. They got all those things at their black-market level there.
“The point there is this, those guys requested for money, that they had to be paid six months arrears before going to Borno so that they could teach our soldiers. And it was not in naira, it was in dollars.
“They required Nigerian government to pay them there (in South Africa) so that they could teach us one or two things because we would get the equipment.”
The former soldier’s allegations come amid growing scrutiny of USAID, which has faced allegations of misappropriating taxpayer funds.
US Congressman Scott Perry recently claimed that USAID had funded terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram.
Perry, a Republican representing Pennsylvania, made the claim during the inaugural hearing of the Subcommittee on Delivering on Government Efficiency on 14 February 2025.
The session, titled, ‘The War on Waste: Stamping Out the Scourge of Improper Payments and Fraud,’ focused on allegations of financial mismanagement within US foreign aid programmes.
“Who gets some of that money? Does that name ring a bell to anybody in the room? Because your money, your money, $697 million annually, plus the shipments of cash funds in Madrasas, ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, ISIS Khorasan, terrorist training camps. That’s what it’s funding,” Perry said.
The former soldier explained that the administration of former President Jonathan had to secure the funds in cash and transport them to South Africa using Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor’s plane.
Unfortunately, according to the source, the APC became aware of this and informed both the US and South African governments, leading to the plane and other assets being seized.
The ex-soldier said, “The APC even went to South Africa, even when the government of Nigeria was telling the government of South Africa that it was about security matter, that it was not something to be exposed.
“They (APC) just used it to frustrate us (soldiers) in the battle in North-East Nigeria. The government was not going to use the weapons against the people of Nigeria.”
The case involving Pastor Oritsejafor’s plane centres around a controversial arms deal in 2014. The money, amounting to $9.3 million, was reportedly meant for purchasing arms for the Nigerian Intelligence Services.
This scandal led to the seizure of the plane and other assets.
Pastor Oritsejafor, who admitted owning the jet, denied any involvement or knowledge of the arms deal. He stated that the aircraft was a gift from his congregation and ministry partners and that he had leased it to another party at the time.
The incident caused diplomatic tensions between Nigeria and South Africa, with the Nigerian government insisting that the funds were for a security matter and should not have been exposed.
He said, “So, some of the experts were retired soldiers from the US but they worked with a private company. They managed to bring them to train 72 Airborne battalion. Immediately Buhari became the President, he stopped those guys and asked them to go back, stating that he did not want any foreign soldier on Nigerian soil.
“As at that time, we had already started pushing those terrorists far and we had the upper hand ahead of the 2015 election. But after President Buhari won the election, he sent those guys back and they provided mines that could destroy those tanks that were brought from Russia. They gave them anti-tank that can destroy those tanks.
“So those guys (terrorists) started using those weapons against Nigerian Army which gave them (Boko Haram) the upper hand.
“There’s a video of Asari Dokubo saying that (Muammar) Gaddafi called him to join heads with Buhari for this presidency and he refused.
“Many of the generals who spoke, telling them the situation on the ground were either moved away or withdrawn. We believe there was sabotage from even the government for the army not to succeed. How many are Boko Haram terrorists if it is not the government sponsoring them, giving them information and using them against the army?
“Even when this kidnapping issue started in Kaduna, what happened? At the end of the day, they swapped those detainees with prisoners in Kuje Correctional Centre. The government knew what they were doing.”
These allegations raise questions about the role of the Buhari administration in the conflict with Boko Haram and highlight the need for further investigation into the matter.
