Retired Nigerian Army Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi has appealed to the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union for protection over alleged threats to his life and that of his family. The appeal follows his leadership of a covert anti-terrorism operation under the administration of late President Muhammadu Buhari.

In a letter describing himself as “distressed and endangered,” Ali-Keffi alleged that the Nigerian government has failed to safeguard him despite multiple assassination attempts, unlawful detention, compulsory retirement, and sustained persecution.

Military Career and Anti-Terror Task Force

Ali-Keffi, a Nigerian citizen born on January 29, 1966, served 30 years in the Nigerian Army. He trained at the Nigerian Defence Academy and the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, and held key posts including Director of Training at Army Headquarters and Commandant of the Nigerian Army School of Infantry. He also coordinated training programs with the US, UK, and EU militaries and led the US–Africa Land Forces Conference in Abuja in April 2018.

In October 2020, he was appointed to lead Operation Service Wide (OSW), a covert Presidential Task Force tasked with arresting, investigating, and prosecuting terrorism financiers and capturing or eliminating leaders of terrorist organizations. During the initial six months, OSW reportedly captured or eliminated key Boko Haram leaders and arrested 48 terrorism financiers, collaborating with 33 countries under the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU).

Pressure, Arrest, and Compulsory Retirement

Ali-Keffi alleged that after OSW’s early successes, he faced pressure to release suspects and was offered bribes, which he refused. He suggested that a May 21, 2021 plane crash that killed Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru and Brigadier General Abdulrahman Kuliya, both key OSW supporters, may have been deliberate.

He was subsequently denied funds, removed as General Officer Commanding 1st Division on August 8, 2021, arrested by military police on October 18, 2021, and detained for 64 days under what he described as inhumane conditions, including solitary confinement and denial of basic comforts. Ali-Keffi was released on December 21, 2021, and compulsorily retired without charges, trial, or court-martial.

Alleged Links of Senior Officials to Suspects

Ali-Keffi claimed OSW investigations revealed links between some terrorism financing suspects and senior military officers, including former Army Chiefs Lieutenant Generals Tukur Yusuf Buratai and Faruk Yahaya, and former Attorney General Abubakar Malami. He clarified he was not accusing them of terrorism financing but said the links emerged during official investigations.

Following his arrest, he alleged that all 48 terrorism suspects held at Army detention facilities were released under suspicious circumstances.

Assassination Attempts and Legal Action

Since leaving service, Ali-Keffi claims to have survived four assassination attempts, the latest on June 7, 2023, along the Kaduna–Abuja highway. He wrote to President Bola Tinubu on June 21, 2023, seeking redress but received no response. A legal action against the Nigerian Army, filed at the National Industrial Court in June 2025, has reportedly not commenced because the Army allegedly refused service of court documents.

Appeal for International Protection

Ali-Keffi warned that he and his family are in “mortal danger” and urged the US, UK, and EU to intervene, claiming that without external protection, their lives are at risk.