Retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi has detailed how he was allegedly forced out of the Nigerian Army, detained in solitary confinement, and subjected to degrading treatment after uncovering individuals he described as suspected financiers and sponsors of terrorism during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, said his ordeal began shortly after he was appointed in 2021 to lead Operation Service Wide (OSW), a multi-agency task force created to identify Boko Haram masterminds, expose their financial backers, and dismantle the networks sustaining the insurgency.
According to him, the Buhari administration handpicked him for the sensitive assignment, which involved tracking Boko Haram’s financial architecture and identifying high-profile individuals linked to terrorism financing.
However, instead of gaining institutional backing, Ali-Keffi said “powerful interests” began working against him once OSW started uncovering sensitive information.
Detained for 64 Days, Forced Into Retirement
Ali-Keffi recounted being arrested and detained for 64 days in solitary confinement, where he said he slept on the bare floor and suffered severe health complications.
“When I reported, they even stripped me of my shoes, belt, wristwatches, and money,” he said.
The period of detention, he added, preceded a process that resulted in his compulsory retirement from the Army.
‘Presidency Told Me Not to Report to NARC’
He said that during interrogation, he was questioned about failing to report to the Nigerian Army Resource Centre (NARC) after he was removed as GOC on August 8, 2021.
Ali-Keffi insisted he followed instructions allegedly relayed from the Presidency:
“The liaison between me and President Buhari told me that it was the former President’s directive. So, I complied for a while until I smelled a rat.”
How OSW’s Findings Allegedly Threatened Powerful Figures
Ali-Keffi linked the pushback he faced to OSW’s progress and earlier work he led in 2020 investigating 295 fuel-laden tankers smuggled into Benin Republic.
He said the report of that investigation—which Buhari publicly accepted—recommended that the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) trace individuals involved in terrorism financing.
The NFIU, he claimed, later collaborated with 33 foreign financial intelligence agencies and obtained documents including a certified translated copy of the Dubai Judgment Report. Their findings reportedly led to Buhari approving the creation of OSW, allegedly reluctantly.
As OSW proceeded and suspects reportedly connected to prominent Nigerians were arrested—alongside the killing of Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau, which he partially attributed to OSW’s activities—resistance intensified.
Possible Link to Attahiru’s Death?
Ali-Keffi said intelligence sources told him powerful individuals felt threatened and wanted him eliminated. He also suggested that the late Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, might have been targeted—though he admitted he could not prove this.
He questioned why neither Buhari nor Vice President Osinbajo attended Attahiru’s funeral despite being in Abuja at the time, contrasting this with President Tinubu’s presence at the burial of General Lagbaja.
Alleged Plot To Assassinate Him on Abuja–Kaduna Highway
Ali-Keffi said he received “credible intelligence” that an assassination attempt had been planned, disguised as a bandit attack.
“When nothing was forthcoming, and I got reliable information that the Presidency was part of the plot to ‘deal’ with me, I had to turn myself in,” he said.
‘They Feared What Would Come to Light in Court’
He insisted that he still does not know the specific offence he was accused of, describing the claims against him—such as disrespecting then-COAS Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya—as a cover.
Ali-Keffi argued that those behind his ordeal avoided court-martialing him because doing so would expose OSW’s findings and implicate powerful individuals allegedly linked to terrorism financing.
Letter to Tinubu Details High-Profile Links to Terror Financing
In a June 21, 2023 letter to President Bola Tinubu, Ali-Keffi warned that OSW’s discoveries implicated senior government officials, military officers, and even a prominent banker.
He claimed OSW’s progress was so threatening that some members believed the May 21, 2021 military plane crash that killed General Attahiru could have been suspicious.
Arrest, Detention, and Retirement
Ali-Keffi narrated that after briefing President Buhari at the Villa regarding his redeployment, he was instructed to continue leading OSW and assured his posting to NARC would be adjusted.
But in mid-October 2021, he was suddenly invited for interrogation. After informing the Presidency and receiving assurances, he reported on October 18—but was immediately detained.
He was held in solitary confinement for 64 days, repeatedly interrogated, denied contact with his family, and hospitalised after collapsing due to untreated medical conditions.
Investigators, he said, searched for evidence against him, checking his bank accounts and even replaying four secretly recorded calls between him and the Military Secretary (Army)—all of which he said revealed nothing illegal.
Upon release on December 21, 2021, he was handed a letter of compulsory retirement.
He described the manner of his exit—after more than 30 years of service and training in institutions such as the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst—as a humiliating dismissal, despite acting on a presidential directive.
‘They Wanted to Protect a Criminal Enterprise’
Ali-Keffi concluded that his mistreatment was aimed at shielding a network of powerful individuals allegedly benefitting from Boko Haram and other insurgent activities.
“My uncompromising stance, coupled with information I had on some prominent individuals due to their links to suspects, led to my ordeal.”
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