Tukur Buratai, former chief of army staff (COAS), has instituted a N1 billion defamation suit against Danjuma Ali-Keffi, a retired major-general and former general officer commanding (GOC) of the Nigerian Army’s 1 Division.
The suit, filed on Thursday at a Kaduna state high court, arises from statements allegedly made by Ali-Keffi and circulated across online platforms, accusing Buratai of funding terrorism, associating with Boko Haram suspects, and facilitating the unlawful release and protection of terror suspects.
Filed through his legal representatives, A.I. Aliyu and A.M. Hassan of Law Plus Consult, Buratai asked the court to declare that “the publications, which appeared on Sahara Reporters and were further amplified on several news and social media platforms, were false, malicious and damaging to his reputation”.
The former COAS alleged that Ali-Keffi granted interviews in 2025 wherein he purportedly insinuated that Buratai maintained connections with terrorism-linked individuals and actively concealed terrorism-related offences while serving as army chief.
Buratai said the claims spread widely across platforms including Facebook, X, WhatsApp and Instagram, exposing him to public ridicule and reputational damage both locally and internationally.
In his statement of claim, Buratai maintained that he has never been investigated, indicted or convicted for terrorism, terrorism financing or any related offence, describing the accusations as baseless and misleading.
He further contended that the publications painted him as “a threat to national security, an unpatriotic citizen and a corrupt public officer”, remarks he said had seriously eroded his integrity, honour and standing globally.
Buratai also stated that Ali-Keffi “acted with malice and reckless disregard for the truth, even while acknowledging in the same publications that no official investigation had found Buratai culpable of terrorism financing”.
Accordingly, he is seeking “an order of court directing Ali-Keffi to retract the statements and issue an unreserved public apology, to be published with equal prominence on Sahara Reporters, in two national newspapers, and across all social media platforms where the allegations were circulated”.
He also asked the court to award N1 billion in general damages for libel, citing the gravity of the terrorism-linked claims, their widespread dissemination, and the influence carried by the defendant as a retired senior military officer.
Additionally, the former COAS prayed the court for a perpetual injunction preventing Ali-Keffi from repeating the claims, and an order compelling him to bear all litigation costs, including legal fees.
The writ of summons directed the defendant to enter appearance within 21 days of service, failing which the case may proceed without him.
No hearing date has yet been scheduled.