Former Nigerian Army Exposes Military Links to Terrorism

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.

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, detailing his arrest, detention, and compulsory retirement.

He said 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.

Ali-Keffi headed Operation Service Wide (OPS) set up by former President Muhammadu Buhari to investigate those involved in terrorism financing.

He revealed that he headed a presidential investigative taskforce, the Board of Inquiry (BOI), convened by Major General BM Monguno, the former National Security Adviser (NSA). The BOI made a significant discovery regarding the relationship between the smuggling racket, the terrorism besetting the North-east, and the banditry/kidnapping for ransom which was at its formative stage in the North-west and parts of North-Central geo-political zones.

The petitioner said the operation successfully infiltrated the leadership of terror groups in the North-East, which culminated in their decimation, adding that key terrorism financiers were linked to the individuals convicted for terror financing in UAE.

The petitioner urged President Tinubu for his intervention on the matter, asking for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his arrest, detention, maltreatment, and compulsory retirement from the Nigerian Army.