A retired Nigerian Army major general has alleged that senior military officers and top government officials colluded to secure the release of dozens of terrorism financing suspects, raising fresh concerns over corruption and sabotage within Nigeria’s counterterrorism architecture.
Retired Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, who headed the covert Presidential Task Force, Operation Service Wide (OSW), appointed by former President Muhammadu Buhari in October 2020, made the allegations in an exclusive interview with SaharaReporters.
Ali-Keffi said all 48 terrorism financing suspects held in military custody were released under what he described as “suspicious circumstances,” despite what he claimed was overwhelming evidence linking them to terrorism financing and money laundering.
OSW, a multi-agency task force comprising personnel from the military, intelligence services, security agencies and legal officers from the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), was mandated to identify, arrest, investigate and prosecute sponsors and financiers of terrorist groups operating in Nigeria.
According to Ali-Keffi, his removal from the Army was deliberately orchestrated to pave the way for the release of the suspects.
“All the terrorism financing suspects in Army custody were released under suspicious circumstances,” he alleged.
“It can be safely deduced that General Farouk Yahaya, acting under the prompting of General Tukur Buratai, set me up to get me out of the Army in order to facilitate the release of the suspects and cover up their links to terrorism.”
Ali-Keffi further alleged that Buratai wielded significant influence within the Buhari administration and played a role in Yahaya’s appointment as Chief of Army Staff following the death of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru.
The retired general also implicated former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), saying the release of the suspects could not have occurred without the knowledge and cooperation of his office.
“The Office of the Attorney General was expected to guide investigators in preparing evidence for prosecution or advise on release only where evidence was insufficient,” Ali-Keffi said.
“For any illegal release to occur, Mr Malami’s cooperation would have been required.”
He further claimed that Malami had alleged links to some of the suspects, arguing that protecting reputations may have influenced the decision to free them.
Ali-Keffi also raised alarm over what he described as the systematic diversion of counterterrorism funds, alleging that billions of dollars spent on Nigeria’s counterinsurgency efforts since 2010 have yielded limited results due to corruption.
“It is generally believed that funds meant for counterterrorism are diverted into private pockets,” he said.
“Some senior military officers, government officials and politicians collude in misappropriating these funds.”
He alleged that OSW, working with the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), uncovered extensive money-laundering operations, including the use of bureau-de-change businesses as fronts for terrorism financing.
Ali-Keffi also referenced a forensic audit reportedly ordered by the late Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, which was expected to be finalised days after Attahiru’s death. He suggested the audit could have exposed large-scale financial misconduct within the military.
According to him, OSW obtained substantial intelligence from the United Arab Emirates and Western intelligence agencies, linking the suspects to terrorism financing networks.
“For all 48 suspects to walk free without even money-laundering convictions is simply beyond belief,” he said.
“There must have been compromise.”
Ali-Keffi called for a thorough and independent investigation into the activities of Operation Service Wide and the circumstances surrounding the release of the suspects, insisting that only such a probe can uncover the truth.
Credit: Sahara Reporters
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