Nigeria: Terrorism Financiers Known but Protected, Says Ex-Army GOC

A former General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the 1 Mechanised Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi (rtd), has claimed that powerful individuals linked to terrorism financing and oil smuggling in Nigeria were exposed by security investigations but later shielded from prosecution.

Speaking in an interview on Arise News Channel on Thursday, General Ali-Keffi, who once headed the Operation Service Wing (OSW), tasked with dismantling terrorist financing networks, said painstaking investigations revealed financiers, facilitators, and sponsors of Boko Haram terrorists, including some with political connections.

According to him, the coordinated arrests of Boko Haram leaders and financiers around 2017-2018 significantly weakened the insurgents, leading to mass surrenders and eventually the death of their leader, Abubakar Shekau.

"When you take out the leadership, you decapitate the organisation and render it ineffective. That was what we did, and you saw the massive surrender of Boko Haram fighters and their families," he said.

Ali-Keffi disclosed that Nigeria's efforts enjoyed intelligence support from foreign allies, including the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The retired Army General revealed that investigations unearthed shocking connections but were not acted upon thereafter. "We stumbled upon an airline owner who was allegedly moving weapons for Boko Haram. Some of those arrested were linked to cabinet ministers and even retired senior military officers," he recalled.

He lamented that despite the presence of representatives from the Department of State Services (DSS), Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation during the probe, high-profile suspects were quietly released.

"As the commander, I made my concerns known to the President at the time. He assured me I reported to him and him alone. But as the investigations progressed, I began to see hesitation and resistance. Eventually, some of these people were released and never prosecuted," General Ali-Keffi stated.

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