The Chief of Defence Standards and Evaluations at the Defence Headquarters, DHQ, Major General Adekunle Ariyibi says Boko Haram and other terrorists enjoy foreign funding.

Ariyibi made the comment while Briefing reporters saying Boko Haram and Islamic State in West African Province, ISWAP,’s foreign backing is one of the reasons the war against terrorism has lingered in Nigeria.

A few days ago, US Congressman Scott Perry said that the aborted United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded terrorist bodies such as Boko Haram.

“There’s no doubt about it that this sort of operation cannot be sustainable for the past 15 years without some sort of external collaboration and assistance,” he said on Monday’s edition of the breakfast show.

“It’s obvious that the operations of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West African Province (ISWAP) have metamorphosized since their allegiance with ISIS, and they have had access to international funding which is beyond the shores of Nigeria. It’s obvious in the caliber of weapons you see them display. It’s obvious in the sort of sustainability plans that they have. Right now, they are moving into drones and not only surveillance drones but also drones that can deliver leather weaponry.”

That comment has continued to steer debates in Nigeria and beyond, and General Ariyibi agrees that such terrorist organisations have foreign backers.