Ali-Keffi Accuses Powerful Officials of Obstructing Terror-Financing Probe and Silencing Investigators

A retired Nigerian Army General, Ali-Keffi, has made explosive allegations that a high-level counter-terrorism operation approved by former President Muhammadu Buhari was deliberately sabotaged to protect influential individuals linked to arrested suspects. The operation, known as Operation Service Wide (OSW), was created in 2021 to identify Boko Haram’s financiers, dismantle their networks, and expose the masterminds behind terrorism in Nigeria.

Ali-Keffi, who once commanded the 1 Division and served as General Officer Commanding, said the investigation exposed a far-reaching network of financiers allegedly tied to senior government officials, top military figures, and major financial institutions. He claimed that instead of allowing the probe to proceed, powerful forces moved swiftly to discredit the operation and silence those involved.

NFIU Briefing to Buhari Sparked Tensions

According to information obtained by SaharaReporters, OSW—working with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU)—arrested several high-profile suspects in March 2021 after tracking detailed financial flows linked to terrorism financing. These findings were formally presented to Buhari in September of that year.

Ali-Keffi stated that one month after the briefing, he was abruptly summoned to the Military Police Headquarters, interrogated, detained, and eventually held for 64 days without charge. He was later compulsorily retired without query or trial.

“Till today, I don’t know my offence,” he said, alleging that his removal was a coordinated effort to derail the terrorism-financing investigation. His petition to President Bola Tinubu has reportedly gone unanswered, and a court case he filed has stalled.

Officials Allegedly Linked to Arrested Suspects

Ali-Keffi stressed that his claims are based on information directly provided to him by the then-Director of the NFIU, Modibbo Hamman-Tukur Ribadu.

According to him:

• Two suspects were linked to former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd)
• Two others were linked to former Attorney-General, Abubakar Malami (SAN)
• One was linked to former CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele
• Former COAS, Gen. Faruk Yahaya (rtd), was linked to one suspect

Ali-Keffi emphasised that none of these officials was directly implicated in terrorism financing, but their names surfaced because they had business connections with certain suspects—many of whom operated Bureau De Change outlets suspected of doubling as fronts for illicit activity.

He also revealed that Buratai reportedly asked the NFIU boss to persuade him to release two suspects, a request he rejected. Buhari, he said, supported him and warned that he was accountable solely to the presidency.

$600 Million Offshore Account and a $50 Million Bribe Attempt

Ali-Keffi disclosed that one international suspect, Aboubacar Hima, had an offshore account with about $600 million, which was frozen after OSW and the NFIU alerted U.S. authorities. He said someone acting on Hima’s behalf later offered $50 million for Nigeria to clear the funds, but he refused.

He claimed he was later informed that the Nigerian government eventually wrote to the U.S. requesting that the account be unfrozen.

Pressure to Downgrade Charges

The retired general said OSW gathered strong evidence to charge 48 suspects with terrorism financing. However, he alleged that there was intense pressure to downgrade the charges to money laundering—an action he believes was meant to move the case to the EFCC, which was influenced by Malami at the time.

He stated that a key prosecution lawyer assisting the case was removed without explanation after insisting that the evidence supported terrorism-financing charges.

Ali-Keffi maintains that influential officials sought to “kill the investigation,” and his refusal to compromise led to his arrest and removal.

Suspects Freed After His Removal

He claimed that after he was sidelined, the operation was effectively shut down and the suspects OSW arrested were quietly released. None of the more than 20 high-profile suspects or others detained were ever charged in court.

According to him, the suspects were warned not to speak publicly or pursue legal action over their lengthy detention.

List of Over 400 High-Value Targets

Ali-Keffi also disclosed that OSW maintained a list of more than 400 individuals marked for arrest or neutralisation. The list reportedly included the late Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau.

He stated that OSW “engineered” the circumstances that led to Shekau’s death, as capturing him was impossible.

The retired general insists that relevant agencies—including the NFIU, EFCC, and the Office of the Attorney-General must explain whether funds traced to suspected terror sponsors were ever recovered or quietly released.

He maintains that his ordeal is evidence of a deliberate effort to obstruct a terrorism-financing investigation that touched some of Nigeria’s most powerful individuals.