Retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi has made a series of serious allegations concerning his treatment following his participation in a high-level counter-terrorism operation, in a letter addressed to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In the correspondence, now circulating publicly, the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army claims he faced punitive actions—including compulsory retirement, arrest, and 64 days of solitary detention—after leading a specialised task force that reportedly apprehended key figures linked to the Boko Haram insurgency.
Ali-Keffi, who was appointed to head the presidentially sanctioned “Operation Service Wide,” said the team was mandated to investigate the operational and financial networks sustaining terrorism. According to him, the operation uncovered alleged financiers and collaborators, including individuals in government, the military, and the financial sector.
He alleges that following these discoveries, powerful interests sought to halt the investigations and retaliated against members of the team. “The moment we began to expose the financial pipelines of terror, backlash followed,” he stated in the letter.
In a more controversial claim, Ali-Keffi also raised concerns regarding the 2021 plane crash that claimed the life of the then Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru. While stopping short of making direct accusations, he suggested that the late COAS had backed efforts to trace terror funding and called on President Tinubu to revisit the circumstances surrounding the crash as well as the alleged suppression of anti-terror operations.
The federal government and the Nigerian military authorities have yet to issue an official response to the allegations, which have since sparked public debate and renewed calls for transparency in the nation’s counter-terrorism efforts.
Security analysts note that the claims—if verified—would point to systemic internal challenges complicating Nigeria’s long-running battle against insurgency. However, they also caution that the allegations remain unproven and should be subjected to thorough, impartial investigation.
The developments have raised critical questions about accountability, the integrity of counter-terrorism operations, and the protection of officers involved in sensitive national security assignments.
As the nation awaits an official response, observers say only a transparent and comprehensive inquiry can provide clarity and restore confidence in Nigeria’s security architecture.
