The #BringBackOurGirls (BBOG) movement, a Nigerian-led advocacy group formed in response to the 2014 abduction of 276 schoolgirls from Chibok town by Boko Haram, is currently battling reputational issues over allegations that it benefited from funds provided by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The allegations originated from certain claims by Nigerian journalist David Hundeyin, who accused BBOG of receiving USAID funding to undermine the administration of former President Goodluck Jonathan during the 2014 Chibok crisis.
Hundeyin’s claims, which gained traction on social media, suggested that BBOG was purportedly part of a broader network of organizations funded by USAID to influence Nigerian politics.
The timing of the allegations coincides with broader scrutiny of USAID funding under the administration of US President Donald Trump.
Trump had shut down the operations of USAID, citing allegations of fraud and corruption. Following the USAID shutdown, Pan-Atlantic Kompass earlier reported that a number of initiatives and interventions funded by USAID in Nigeria and across Africa are currently challenged.
Trump’s billionaire ally and Head, US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Elon Musk, also said: “It became apparent that it was not an apple with a worm in it. What we have is just a ball of worms. You’ve got to get rid of the whole thing. It’s beyond repair. We’re shutting it down.”
While USAID had historically supported humanitarian efforts in Nigeria, including programs related to education and counter-terrorism, there is no publicly available evidence linking it to BBOG.
In a rebuttal statement issued on Tuesday, the BBOG movement issued a strong denial of these claims, labelling them as “outright lies” and emphasizing its commitment to self-funding through voluntary contributions from its members.
BBOG also challenged anyone with evidence that it received funding from USAID to publish it.
Part of the statement said: “Our attention was drawn to outrageous allegations on social media that the #BringBackOurGirls movement (BBOG) was one of the organizations around the world funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
“We state categorically that these malicious allegations are outright lies, baseless and a serious violation of the principle of the sacredness of facts. We urge anyone with a shred of evidence whatsoever to validate these claims against BBOG to immediately publish them.
“BBOG has operated as a citizen’s advocacy over the last 11 years of existence with the highest standards of sacrifice, empathy, openness, integrity, transparency, probity, resilience and discipline driven by our shared humanity. The movement is, therefore, similarly interested in promoting any issues of public accountability.
“To reemphasize, no form of relationship, including any related to funding, ever existed or exists between BBOG and USAID. We, therefore, urge reasonable people everywhere in the world to disregard, ignore and indeed denounce this form of unfounded attacks against our humanity-anchored citizens’ advocacy that champions the culture of citizens holding their governments and public leaders accountable.
“As campaigners, BBOG had from the outset publicly declared and respected our Singularity of Purpose through our chant: “Bring Back Our Girls Now and Alive!!!”.
“It was for this singular purpose that BBOG campaigners gathered daily for protests from April 30, 2014 at the Unity Fountain Abuja every day for two thousand, one hundred and sixty-three (2,163) days to advocate for the cause of our Chibok girls for a period that spanned the administrations of Presidents Goodluck Jonathan and Muhammadu Buhari.”
Recall the abduction of the Chibok schoolgirls in April 2014 during Jonathan’s presidency led to political tensions and criticism of the government’s handling of Boko Haram. Among other issues, some political analysts had specifically linked the fall of Jonathan’s administration to the Chibok abduction and the global campaign that assailed it vis-a-vis geopolitics.
The BBOG movement, led by figures like Oby Ezekwesili, Aisha Yesufu, and others, emerged as a grassroots response to demand accountability and action from the Nigerian government.
BBOG emerged in April 2014 following the Chibok abduction, initially planned as a one-day march in Abuja led by Ezekwesili and others.
The movement would later gain global attention through the #BringBackOurGirls hashtag, which was used over one million times within weeks after the abduction, with former US First Lady, Michelle Obama seen in a viral video championing the global campaign from inside the White House in Washington DC.
