In a dramatic and deeply revealing letter to President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, retired Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi has shed light on what he describes as a disturbing turn of events following a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s fight against terrorism.
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According to the senior officer, after successfully leading an elite task force that apprehended key figures within the Boko Haram insurgency—including what he described as the “real leader” of the terror group—he was not celebrated but instead met with retaliation: compulsory retirement, arrest, and 64 days in solitary confinement.
Ali-Keffi, who once commanded the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division and served as a General Officer Commanding (GOC), was handpicked to head “Operation Service Wide,” a presidentially sanctioned counter-terrorism investigative team.
The operation reportedly uncovered not only the masterminds of Boko Haram but also a network of financiers, including senior government officials, military officers, and top financial institutions.
“The moment we arrested some of these individuals and started exposing the financial pipelines of terror, the backlash began,” Ali-Keffi wrote. He alleges that powerful interests within and outside the government moved swiftly to suppress the operation and silence those behind it.
Even more striking, the retired General raised concerns about the tragic death of Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, Nigeria’s late Chief of Army Staff, who died in a plane crash in 2021. According to Ali-Keffi, the late COAS was determined to pursue terror financiers and had endorsed the work of Operation Service Wide.
He subtly implied that Attahiru’s death may not have been accidental, urging President Tinubu to revisit the incident and initiate a transparent investigation into both the crash and the alleged sabotage of anti-terror efforts.
The allegations by General Ali-Keffi, now circulating publicly, have sparked renewed calls for accountability. While the federal government has yet to issue an official response, the implications of his claims are profound. If true, they point to a deeply entrenched system in which efforts to combat terrorism are undermined from within, and courageous officers are punished rather than commended.
Ali-Keffi’s whistleblowing has added a new layer to Nigeria’s complex security challenges. His revelations raise urgent questions: Who truly benefits from the prolonged war against insurgency? And why are those fighting it from within the system being silenced?
Until these questions are confronted with transparency and courage, Nigeria’s fight against terror may remain compromised—not by a lack of will or strategy, but by internal betrayal at the highest levels.
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