A retired Nigerian Army major general, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, has alleged that senior military and government officials colluded to secure the release of dozens of terrorism financing suspects who were previously held in military custody.

Ali-Keffi, who was appointed in October 2020 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari to lead a covert Presidential Task Force known as Operation Service Wide (OSW), made the allegations in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters.

OSW, made up of personnel from the military, security and intelligence agencies, as well as legal officers from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, was mandated to identify, arrest, investigate and prosecute financiers, sponsors and collaborators of terrorist organisations, as well as neutralise terrorist leaders.

According to Ali-Keffi, all terrorism financing suspects detained by the Nigerian Army under the OSW framework were released under what he described as “suspicious circumstances.”

He alleged that the then Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Farouk Yahaya (retd.), acting under the influence of former Army Chief Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai (retd.), orchestrated his removal from service to facilitate the release of the suspects.

“All the terrorism financing suspects in Army custody were released under suspicious circumstances,” Ali-Keffi said. “It can be reasonably deduced that General Yahaya, allegedly acting under the prompting of General Buratai, set me up to remove me from the Army and pave the way for the release of the suspects, thereby covering up their links to terror networks.”

Ali-Keffi further alleged that former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), played a key role in the process, noting that the Office of the Attorney General was legally responsible for guiding investigations and recommending prosecution or release where evidence was insufficient.

He claimed that Malami’s cooperation would have been required for the suspects to be freed, particularly given alleged personal or political links to some of them.

“The Office of the Attorney General was expected to guide investigators in preparing evidence for prosecution,” Ali-Keffi said. “Any recommendation for the release of suspects would require the Attorney General’s consent. It is therefore improbable that these suspects were released without his knowledge or agreement.”

The retired general also raised concerns over alleged large-scale misappropriation of funds allocated to Nigeria’s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations.

According to him, despite Nigeria spending billions of dollars on counterinsurgency efforts since 2010, the results have been minimal due to alleged diversion of funds by senior military officers and government officials.

“Significant portions of funds meant for counterterrorism operations are believed to have been diverted into private pockets,” he said. “Some top military officers, in collaboration with senior government and political figures, are allegedly involved in this misappropriation.”

Ali-Keffi further alleged that intelligence gathered by the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) during OSW operations revealed that some terrorism financing suspects laundered funds on behalf of senior officials, often using bureau de change businesses as fronts.

He argued that misapplication of counterterrorism funds is as damaging as directly financing terrorism, as both undermine national security efforts.

Ali-Keffi also referenced a forensic audit reportedly ordered by the late Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, which he said was due to be signed shortly before Attahiru’s death in May 2021. He suggested that the audit may have exposed financial irregularities within the counterinsurgency campaign.

According to him, OSW had compiled substantial evidence against 48 terrorism financing suspects, including intelligence provided by the United Arab Emirates and Western intelligence agencies.

“For all 48 suspects to be released without even facing money laundering charges is beyond belief,” he said. “Only a thorough and independent investigation into the OSW operations will reveal how and why this happened.”