Buratai denies terrorism financing allegations, calls claims malicious

Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd.), has dismissed as completely fabricated the claim that he had any connection, direct or indirect, to terrorism financing.

A statement issued on Saturday by Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd.), who signed on behalf of the former Army chief, strongly refuted an online report that listed certain high-profile Nigerians among alleged terrorism financiers.

According to the statement, the accusation is not only baseless and mischievous but also a deliberate attempt to smear Buratai’s character and undermine his long-standing service to the nation.

It stressed that at no point in Buratai’s military or diplomatic career had he ever been invited for questioning, probed, or indicted by any government institution, security agency, or oversight body in relation to terrorism financing or any related offence.

The statement specifically criticised the report by Sahara Reporters, which relied solely on unverified claims allegedly made by Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi (rtd.), describing it as a narrative built on malice with no factual or legal backing.

It added that the publication’s action fits a pattern of previous failed attempts to tarnish the former Army chief’s image. These attempts, the statement noted, repeatedly collapsed because Buratai’s track record remains one of transparency, integrity, and patriotic service.

Highlighting his years in uniform, the statement recalled that Buratai spent over four decades serving the country, leading the Nigerian Army in operations that weakened Boko Haram and ISWAP, reclaimed occupied communities, reinstated civil authority, and facilitated the return of displaced residents.

“To suggest that a man who dedicated his career to combating terrorism would be involved with the same elements he fought against defies reason and morality,” it said.

The statement demanded an immediate retraction and a public apology from Sahara Reporters and Ali-Keffi, warning that failure to comply would leave Buratai’s team with no choice but to pursue legal action to defend his reputation.