A covert counter-terrorism operation personally approved by then-President Muhammadu Buhari has resurfaced in major controversy after retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi revealed that several arrested terror suspects were traced to powerful political and military figures, including former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN), ex-Army Chiefs Tukur Buratai and Faruk Yahaya, and former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele.
Ali-Keffi, who led Operation Service Wide (OSW) in 2021, said the findings triggered a coordinated effort to shut down the investigation, destroy evidence, and punish officials involved in the probe.
Ali-Keffi was appointed in 2021 as head of OSW, a multi-agency task force created to identify Boko Haram financiers, track money movement, and dismantle networks backing the insurgency.
The operation worked closely with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), which provided financial intelligence that led to several arrests.
According to documents and testimonies sighted by Reporters, OSW arrested dozens of high-risk suspects in March 2021 based on suspicious financial flows linked to terrorism.
In September 2021, OSW and the NFIU formally briefed Buhari on the arrests. Former Chief of Army Staff Faruk Yahaya also attended the briefing even though a suspect under investigation was later linked to him.
One month later, Ali-Keffi was suddenly ordered to report to Military Police headquarters.
On October 18, 2021, he was detained, interrogated for hours, and held for 64 days without charges, trial, or official explanation before being compulsorily retired from the Army.
Till today, I don’t know my offence, he said, calling his detention a deliberate attempt to cripple the investigation.
He later petitioned President Bola Tinubu for redress, but no action has been taken.
His suit before the National Industrial Court has not progressed because, according to him, the Army has allegedly avoided being served court processes.
Ali-Keffi says the links between suspects and prominent Nigerians were confirmed to him directly by then-NFIU Director/CEO Modibbo Hamman-Tukur Ribadu.
According to him:
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Two suspects were linked to former COAS Tukur Buratai
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Two were linked to former AGF Abubakar Malami
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One was linked to ex-CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele
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One was linked to former COAS Faruk Yahaya
Ali-Keffi insisted he is not accusing any of them of financing terrorism. Rather, they had business or personal relationships with certain suspects many of whom operated Bureau De Change businesses that may have served as fronts for illicit funding networks.
He said Buratai even asked the NFIU boss to persuade him to release two suspects, a request he refused.
He reported the issue to Buhari without naming Buratai, prompting Buhari to respond sharply: You report to me and to me alone.
A major breakthrough came when investigators discovered an offshore account linked to international arms dealer Aboubacar Hima containing about $600 million. The NFIU alerted US authorities, and the account was frozen.
Ali-Keffi said the NFIU boss later informed him that someone acting for Hima attempted to bribe Nigerian officials with $50 million to tell the US there were no issues with the funds.
Ali-Keffi said he rejected the offer.
After his detention and removal from OSW, he said the Nigerian government eventually wrote to the US requesting that the account be unfrozen.
According to Ali-Keffi, OSW had evidence to charge 48 suspects with terrorism financing, but he faced heavy pressure to downgrade the charges to money laundering a move he believed was intended to transfer the case to the EFCC, which was under Malami’s influence and led by his relative Abdulrasheed Bawa.
A senior prosecution lawyer assisting OSW was removed by the AGF’s office after refusing to compromise.
The powers-that-be wanted to kill the investigation, Ali-Keffi said.
After Ali-Keffi’s removal, OSW was effectively dismantled.
All 20 top suspects including those linked through financial intelligence to powerful Nigerians were released. None were charged.
They were allegedly warned not to challenge their nine-month detention in court or speak to the media.
NFIU was reportedly pressured to withdraw terrorism-financing accusations.
Ali-Keffi also revealed that OSW had compiled a list of more than 400 individuals to be arrested or eliminated, including Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.
We couldn’t arrest Shekau, so we engineered what happened to him, he said, without giving further details.
Ali-Keffi insists that the NFIU, EFCC, and AGF’s office must explain whether the funds traced to the suspects were seized or quietly returned.
He maintains that his arrest, detention, and compulsory retirement were punishment for refusing to compromise an investigation that implicated influential political and military elites.
