Boko Haram Sponsors Have Links With Nigerian Military: Army General Forcibly Retired Petitions To President Tinubu

General Ali-Keffiwho was forced out of the army for exposing his colleagues' involvement with terror financing, disclosed this in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, which also detailed his arrest, detention and compulsory retirement.

Former General Officer Commanding (GOC), 1 Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj Gen Ali-Keffi, has revealed that terrorism financing, procurement and movement of arms and ammunition for Boko Haram and other criminal elements have links to the military.

General Ali-Keffi, who was forced out of the army for exposing his colleagues' involvement with terror financing, disclosed this in a letter to President Bola Tinubu, which also detailed his arrest, detention and compulsory retirement.

The most worrisome aspect was that some of the individuals involved in terrorism financing of Boko Haram terrorists and who were also involved in procurement and movement of arms and ammunition for Boko Haram and other criminal organisations had links with the military," he stated.

Ali-Keffi, who headed Operation Service Wide (OPS) set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate those involved in terrorism financing, said his arrest, detention and compulsory retirement followed the report of his team which exposed the involvement of senior government officials, a top banker and top military brass in terrorism financing.

Ali-Keffi in the letter published by ThisDay, revealed that he headed a presidential investigative taskforce, instituted Board of Inquiry (BOI) convened by Major General BM Monguno (rtd), the former National Security Adviser (NSA), which sat in the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) for five weeks from early January to late February 2020.

GOC 1 Mechanised Division, Kaduna.

He noted that subsequently, the presidency, the AGF became “less helpful”.

According to him, the entire episode culminated in his arrest and detention for 64 days in solitary confinement, where he slept on the floor with consequent health implications.

He lamented that the most painful part of his experience was that President Buhari, who approved his headship of the task force did not come to his rescue.

Begging President Tinubu for his intervention on the matter, he said “kindly cause an investigation into the circumstances surrounding my arrest, detention, maltreatment and compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army."

He also sought a review of his compulsory retirement from the army and that it should be commuted to voluntary retirement as well as approved compensation for the expenditure incurred by the task force in hiring vehicles and quarters. This should include compensation for the pains and injuries suffered while incarcerated and approval of personal security, he said.