According to retired Major-General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, a massive military campaign against bandits in the North West and North Central areas in 2021 was abruptly stopped by an order from the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sahara Reporters claims that the former General Officer Commanding (GOC) 1 Division and head of the clandestine Operation Service Wide (OSW) made the revelations in a thorough description of internal power struggles, purported sabotage, and policy decisions that, in his opinion, severely hampered the fight against banditry and terrorism at the time.
Ali-Keffi stated that recommendations from intelligence chiefs, such as the heads of the DSS, NIA, Defense Intelligence, and the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, led to his appointment as Commander of OSW, a specialized inter-agency group focused on terror financing and high-level intelligence.
However, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff at the time, apparently took offense with that procedure.
According to Ali-Keffi, “Gen Tukur Buratai was not pleased with my appointment as the Commander OSW from the beginning… he didn’t hide his annoyance with my appointment.”
He described a heated late-night discussion at Buratai’s home in November 2020, just after the announcement of his appointment was made during a National Security Council meeting.
He claimed that at the meeting, Buratai questioned his suitability, insisted that Army Headquarters should handle the mission instead, and insisted that the Army receive all collected intelligence.
Then he declared that without the OSW, the Nigerian Army would complete the assignment in 48 hours. “I left the Flag House after he dismissed me,” Ali-Keffi claimed, expressing concern that the encounter might have been videotaped.
Buratai allegedly reversed direction a few days later and offered OSW financial and logistical support. However, Ali-Keffi declined, believing that tracking devices or booby traps could damage the cars and other assets.
He claimed that this internal conflict signaled the start of OSW’s operations being purposefully undermined.
Ali-Keffi additionally asserted that there were reliable intelligence information indicating a plot to frame him on false accusations of treason with the intention of killing him by poisoning or lethal injection following his arrest and confinement under the previous regime.
He said that once the OSW informed a Western ally, diplomatic action was taken. Two weeks into my arrest, he claimed, “the US government then sent Anthony Blinken [then-U.S. Secretary of State] to visit Nigeria to warn them not to harm me.”
According to Sahara Reporters, the retired general accused senior Buhari government officials of being involved in illicit mining operations and networks connected to kidnappings and banditry throughout the North Central and North West.
He declared, “The previous administration was complicit in the banditry… due to the illegal mining activities that some key officials… were involved in collaboration with local and foreign private individuals.”
Significant Gains Canceled By 2021 Presidential Order Ali-Keffi proudly described the sweeping operations he oversaw between April and May 2021, when 1 Division liberated over 100 abducted victims and eradicated a number of bandit strongholds in the states of Niger and Kaduna, including the Alawa Forest.
Gangs were driven out of places including Birnin Gwari, Kidandan, Fatika, the Kuyello axis, and the vicinity of Kaduna International Airport. The Kaduna–Birnin Gwari–Mokwa highway was able to reopen thanks to these activities, which also relieved congestion on the Kaduna–Abuja route.
In order to support 8 Division’s operations in Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara, plans were in place for 1 Division to provide rear protection while 8 Division moved into woodland hideouts.
But the Presidency’s 2021 directive put an end to all activities. Although both commanders were dismissed prior to the agreed-upon two-week ceasefire, Ali-Keffi stated his crew complied.
“This operation started in June/July 2021,” he stated. It should be noted that Gen. Attahiru had passed away at this point, and Gen. Faruk Yahaya had taken his post.
However, in late July 2021, I received orders from the Presidency to stop all offensive in the general area for two weeks. This was because the Fulani leadership had informed the government that they would defeat the various Fulani-derived banditry groups and put an end to their illegal activities because innocent Fulani people were being caught in the crossfire.
“I believed that the administration was honest when it grudgingly stopped the offensive with 8 Division. The GOC 8 Div at the time, Maj Gen Usman Yusuf, was informed of the command verbally. However, in the military, disobeying instructions from superiors was a serious offense, so I had little choice.
“However, I was removed along with the GOC 8 Div before the two-week period ended.”
He claimed that these victories served as the basis for Operation FOREST SHIELD, a cooperative effort with 8 Division intended to dismantle bandit groups in areas of Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
In a similar vein, he stated, “the Bandits operating in the North Central and North West zones were on the verge of capitulation in July/August 2021 until the administration gave them a reprieve or lifeline.”
