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A retired Nigerian Army Major General, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, has publicly called for a comprehensive investigation into the mysterious release without trial of 48 individuals detained as suspected terrorism financiers during a high-profile covert operation he once led.
Ali-Keffi, who headed the presidentially approved Operation Service Wide (OSW) — a multi-agency task force established in October 2020 under former President Muhammadu Buhari — made the demand in a recent interview.
He described the releases as occurring under deeply suspicious circumstances shortly after his own forced exit from the military in late 2021.
The OSW was tasked with tracing and disrupting the financial networks sustaining terrorist groups like Boko Haram.
According to Ali-Keffi, the operation secured substantial evidence — including intelligence shared by Western agencies and the United Arab Emirates — against the 48 suspects held in Nigerian Army custody.
This material allegedly demonstrated their roles in laundering funds through bureaux de change, diverting counter-terrorism allocations, and channeling money directly to insurgent operations.
Among the most prominent names highlighted by the retired general are Hima Abubakar, described as an arms dealer with a frozen $600 million account traced by Nigeria’s Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) to an offshore location, and Alhaji Saidu Ahmed (also known as Saidu Gold), whom Ali-Keffi identified as a key Boko Haram recruiter.
UAE intelligence documents reportedly linked Saidu Gold to individuals convicted in Dubai for establishing a Boko Haram cell and transferring hundreds of thousands of dollars to the group.
Ali-Keffi emphasized that one detainee was even identified by Middle Eastern and Western intelligence services as a principal leader within Boko Haram.
Despite this accumulated evidence, he said, none of the suspects faced prosecution.
Instead, they were quietly released after high-level interventions that he suggested protected powerful figures implicated in the financial trails.
The former general raised pointed questions: Who authorized the releases? Why were no trials pursued despite overwhelming proof?
He further queried why the Nigerian government reportedly requested the United States to unfreeze Hima Abubakar’s assets — even though a prior arms procurement probe (the Committee on Defence and Arms Procurement) had found him liable for massive debts to the state — and why individuals like Saidu Gold walked free despite foreign convictions tying them to terrorist recruitment.
Ali-Keffi linked these events to broader patterns of alleged corruption, including the diversion of funds meant for counter-terrorism efforts.
He referenced a forensic audit of military procurement and counter-insurgency finances initiated by the late Chief of Army Staff, General Ibrahim Attahiru, who died in a plane crash in May 2021 — just days before he was expected to act on its findings.
The retired officer warned that full public disclosure of OSW’s investigations would trigger major repercussions, potentially implicating senior military officers, government officials, and even members of the National Assembly.
In demanding accountability, Ali-Keffi urged Nigerian authorities to identify everyone involved in ordering or facilitating the releases and to explain the apparent shielding of suspects.
Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi Blasts Release of Terrorism Financier
Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi
He argued that the failure to prosecute has allowed terrorism financing networks to persist, undermining national security and prolonging the insurgency that has plagued northern Nigeria for over 15 years.
The revelations have reignited public debate over corruption within security and political circles, with some observers noting parallels to recent developments, including the Department of State Services’ actions against former officials on related financial misconduct allegations.
Ali-Keffi’s earlier statements have already prompted defamation lawsuits from figures like former Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, who denied any involvement in terrorism financing or suspect protection and sought substantial damages in court.
As calls mount for an independent probe, the episode underscores persistent concerns about transparency, elite impunity, and the true depth of internal complicity in Nigeria’s prolonged battle against terrorism.
