A retired senior military officer, Major General Danjuma Ali Keffi, has alleged that the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari stopped a decisive joint military operation that was on the verge of breaking the backbone of bandit networks in the North West and North Central regions in 2021.
According to Ali Keffi, his covert inter agency unit known as Operation Service Wide had recorded significant gains between April and May 2021. He claimed that troops cleared several forest enclaves in Niger and Kaduna states, rescued more than one hundred kidnapped victims, reopened highways, and disrupted major bandit camps. He added that coordination with the army’s 8 Division had created momentum for a much larger offensive named Operation Forest Shield.
He stated that plans were already in place to expand the operation into Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and parts of Kaduna when a directive reportedly came from the Presidency in late July 2021. The order instructed all units to pause offensive operations for two weeks. He said the reason provided was that Fulani leaders had assured government officials that they would persuade bandit groups of Fulani descent to drop their weapons.
Ali Keffi claimed that he and the 8 Division commander were removed from their positions before the two week window expired, which he believes gave criminal groups enough time to reorganise, escape, or rearm. He described the pause as “a lifeline” that erased the progress already made.
The retired officer also alleged the existence of internal sabotage and intelligence leaks. He said some top officials were linked to illegal mining networks that depended on the chaos created by armed groups in several states. He argued that these interests undermined genuine efforts to restore security.
He alleged that after these events he was detained for sixty four days and was nearly framed for treason. He further claimed that a plan to eliminate him was only halted after foreign diplomats raised concerns.
The allegations have not been independently verified. No public documents or official military records currently confirm whether the Buhari administration issued any directive halting operations at that period. The claims about illegal mining networks, sabotage within security circles, and alleged plans to harm Ali Keffi have also not been supported by publicly available evidence.
The retired officer’s account, however, adds to long standing debates about the factors that weakened Nigeria’s fight against terrorism and banditry. It raises questions about political interference, internal divisions within security agencies, and the influence of criminal economies connected to mining. The seriousness of the claims has renewed calls among analysts and civil society groups for a full investigation to clarify what happened during that phase of the country’s security campaign.
