The U.S. weapons sent to Ukraine to aid the war effort against Russia have made their way into the hands of the notorious Boko Haram terrorist group in Nigeria. Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari made the revelation while speaking at the 16th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) on Tuesday.
President Buhari revealed that weapons used for the war in Ukraine are “beginning to filter into the region.” Buhari added that the illegal movement of arms into the region has increased the offensive capabilities of terrorist groups.
The U.S. has sent weapons worth billions of dollars to Ukraine since Russia invaded the country. However, the U.S. has failed to carry out proper oversight of those weapons, which could lead to disastrous blowback for years to come.
According to The Washington Post, U.S. monitors have conducted in-person inspections for only about 10% of the 22,000 weapons that require special oversight sent to Ukraine.
The report stated further that U.S. officials have been able to conduct just two in-person inspections of items requiring enhanced oversight at weapons depots.
Alongside the lack of adequate weapons oversight, the U.S. has also failed to conduct a proper audit of funds sent to aid Ukraine. The U.S. has handed Ukraine around $10 billion in humanitarian assistance and another $13 billion in economic assistance since the war began.
Several GOP lawmakers, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), have called for more oversight on aid sent to Ukraine. Greene, alongside top Republican lawmakers, unveiled a resolution in November aimed at auditing aid sent to Ukraine since the beginning of the war.
Greene revealed that the resolution will hold the U.S. government accountable for all the funding for Ukraine since the war began.
Greene’s resolution received the backing of several Republican lawmakers, including Reps. Matt Gaetz (FL.), Barry Moore (Al.), Andrew Clyde (GA.), and Thomas Massie (KY.).
Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX) on the House Foreign Affairs Committee echoed Greene’s sentiments. McCaul revealed that GOP House support for continued aid to Ukraine is conditioned on more accountability. McCaul made the admission while speaking alongside Rep. Mike Turner (R-Oh).
Rep. Michael McCaul tells @MarthaRaddatz that Republicans will provide “more oversight, transparency and accountability" to Ukraine spending with new House majority.
“We’re not going to write a blank check…We’re going to do it in a responsible way." https://t.co/uMIPFMhYoM pic.twitter.com/KOD5H75nuL
— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) November 27, 2022
McCaul added that the majority on both sides of the aisle support the accountability efforts.
“We are going to provide more oversight, transparency and accountability. We’re not going to write a blank check,” McCaul said.
