- Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), stated on Friday that relevant government agencies are fully aware of the individuals financing terrorism in Nigeria.
- Buratai shifted the responsibility of publicly naming these suspects to the government, asserting that agencies have their own reasons for keeping the names confidential.
- This declaration follows a massive ₦200 billion lawsuit filed by retired Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, who accused the military leadership of releasing terror financiers while detaining him.
Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.) addressed the long-standing demand for the public disclosure of those sponsoring insurgency in Nigeria.
Eko Hot Blog reports that Buratai insisted that he cannot be held personally accountable for the silence, noting that these financiers remain within society today and are well-known to the authorities.
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“Action should be taken; these individuals are known. I take responsibility for certain things that are strictly the Nigerian Army’s responsibility,” he remarked.
The former Army Chief also clarified that the decision to rehabilitate repentant Boko Haram members under the “Safe Corridor” program was a government policy rather than an independent military choice.
He emphasized the need for a surge in recruitment and enhanced intelligence gathering to combat the country’s worsening security challenges, while distancing himself from the administrative decisions regarding legal action against sponsors.
Buratai’s comments arrive amidst a growing scandal involving the detention of Brigadier General Gabriel E. Archibong, the Chief of Staff at the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC).
Archibong has reportedly been held since January 2026 over alleged links to Major General Ali-Keffi, the former head of the covert Operation Service Wide (OSW).
Ali-Keffi, who led the task force to investigate terror sponsors, has sued the Nigerian Army, alleging that he was tortured and unlawfully detained for 64 days after he exposed the release of high-profile terrorism suspects.
He claims that his task force successfully arrested several financiers, only for them to be set free by the military top brass while he was forced into compulsory retirement.
The multi-billion-naira lawsuit filed by Ali-Keffi at the National Industrial Court challenges the legality of his retirement and seeks damages for what he describes as “psychological hardship” and death threats against his family.
The case has cast a spotlight on the internal friction within the military leadership, with sources suggesting that General Archibong’s ongoing detention was a direct result of his communication with Ali-Keffi.
As Buratai calls for more personnel and better funding for the military, the public remains divided over the transparency of the anti-terror war.
The refusal to name sponsors, coupled with allegations of victimizing officers who attempt to prosecute them, continues to fuel concerns about the true motivations behind the prolonged conflict in the North-East and across Nigeria.
