By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi (rtd) has alleged that he was compulsorily retired, arrested, and detained after leading an operation that captured what he described as the “real leader” of Boko Haram. He made the claims in a letter to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which circulated widely on social media on Tuesday.
In the letter, the retired General said the events occurred after he supervised an elite task force that arrested key figures within the Boko Haram insurgency network. Instead of being commended for the breakthrough, he said he was removed from service and held in solitary confinement for 64 days.
Ali-Keffi, a former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, explained that he was specifically appointed to lead Operation Service Wide, a presidentially approved counter-terrorism investigation unit. The operation, he said, uncovered the masterminds behind Boko Haram activities and exposed a network of alleged terror financiers that included government officials, military officers, and financial institutions.
According to him, the operation’s findings triggered immediate pushback from powerful individuals who sought to suppress the revelations and halt further investigations.
“The moment we arrested some of these individuals and exposed the financial pipelines of terror, the backlash began,”
Ali-Keffi stated in the letter.
He accused unnamed interests of orchestrating his compulsory retirement and subsequent detention to silence him and derail the operation’s progress.
Ali-Keffi also raised concerns about the death of former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash in 2021. He said Attahiru strongly supported the work of *Operation Service Wide* and was committed to dismantling terror financing networks.
The retired General implied that Attahiru’s death may require renewed scrutiny, urging President Tinubu to order a transparent investigation into both the plane crash and what he described as a pattern of internal sabotage undermining Nigeria’s counter-terrorism efforts.
The allegations, now gaining public attention, have sparked widespread calls for accountability and a thorough government response. Security analysts and civic groups are urging the federal government to address the claims due to their potential implications for national security.
While the federal government has not issued an official reaction, Ali-Keffi’s claims have intensified discussions about internal resistance to counter-terrorism operations. Analysts say the accusations, if verified, could point to systemic issues within Nigeria’s security architecture.
Ali-Keffi maintained that Nigeria’s struggle against terrorism may continue to face setbacks unless internal corruption and vested interests are confronted decisively.
His letter concludes with an appeal for President Tinubu to revisit the findings of Operation Service Wide, investigate the alleged sabotage, and restore public confidence in the nation’s fight against terror.
