The Nigerian Army has arrested a serving Brigadier General reportedly over his connection to retired Major General Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi.
Sources told Sahara Reporters that the arrest appears linked to Ali-Keffi’s ongoing legal and public dispute with former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai (retd.), relating to investigations into alleged terror-financing activities.
Ali-Keffi, who was appointed in October 2020 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to lead the covert Presidential Task Force, Operation Service Wide (OSW), has repeatedly claimed that terror-financing suspects arrested by the task force were released while in military custody.
According to military sources, Brig. Gen. Gabriel E. Archibong, a serving officer at the Nigerian Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) in Minna, Niger State, was arrested over ten days ago and is currently being held at the Army’s Special Investigation Bureau.
His arrest reportedly stems from frequent communications with Ali-Keffi and allegations that he was “not cooperating” with military authorities.
“He was taken to his Lugbe residence the day after his arrest, where soldiers conducted a three-hour search,” a source said. “Nothing incriminating was found, but his phones and laptop were seized.”
Sources expressed concern over the potential impact of the detention on Archibong’s career and wellbeing, insisting that he had committed no offense.
“We don’t want any harm to come to the General or his career. It is troubling that an officer is being treated this way because of Ali-Keffi,” a source said.
Reports suggest that former army chief Buratai may be connected to the arrest, allegedly portraying Ali-Keffi’s actions as an attempt to tarnish the Army’s image.
Reacting, Ali-Keffi said efforts to hold Buratai accountable were being misinterpreted as an attack on the Nigerian Army.
“What a shame that the Army now considers efforts to hold Buratai responsible for his actions as equivalent to undermining the institution,” Ali-Keffi said. “This is a case of ‘Buratai is the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Army is Buratai.’”
The arrest also coincides with preparations by the Army to defend itself in a lawsuit Ali-Keffi filed at the National Industrial Court in Abuja in December 2025.
Ali-Keffi sued the Nigerian Army and senior military officials over his 64-day detention without charge and compulsory retirement. In the suit, he alleged torture, denial of fair hearing, and violations of the Constitution, the Armed Forces Act, and military regulations.
He claimed that his detention allowed the release of terrorism-financing suspects arrested by OSW. Ali-Keffi also said he and his family received death threats following his detention and compulsory retirement, forcing repeated trips abroad for safety and causing emotional, psychological, and financial hardship.
He is seeking ₦100 billion in compensatory damages, ₦100 billion in punitive damages, ₦120 million in special damages, as well as an order nullifying his compulsory retirement and recognizing it as voluntary at age 60.
Ali-Keffi has previously revealed that OSW investigations, in collaboration with the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), uncovered alleged links between terror-financing suspects and senior military officers, government officials, and financial leaders.
While he clarified that he was not directly accusing former Chiefs of Army Staff Buratai and Lt. Gen. Faruk Yahaya (retd.), former Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele, or former Attorney-General Abubakar Malami (SAN) of financing terrorism, he stated that the investigations indicated connections between these figures and some of the suspects.
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