Tukur Buratai, the former chief of army staff (COAS), has filed 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, instituted before a Kaduna state high court on Thursday, stems from statements allegedly made by Ali-Keffi and circulated through online media platforms, linking Buratai to terrorism financing, Boko Haram suspects, and the unlawful release and shielding of terror suspects.
Buratai, who filed the action through his lawyers, A. I. Aliyu and A. M. Hassan of Law Plus Consult, 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 army chief accused Ali-Keffi of granting interviews in 2025 in which he allegedly suggested that Buratai maintained relationships with individuals linked to terrorism and was involved in efforts to conceal terrorism-related activities while serving as COAS.
Buratai said the allegations gained wide circulation across digital platforms, including Facebook, X, WhatsApp and Instagram, exposing him to public ridicule and reputational damage within and outside Nigeria.
In his statement of claim, Buratai said he has never been investigated, indicted or convicted for terrorism, terrorism financing or any related offence, describing the allegations as baseless and misleading.
He argued that the statements portrayed him as “a threat to national security, an unpatriotic citizen and a corrupt public officer”, assertions he said had severely undermined his integrity, honour and standing in the international community.
He said 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”.
Buratai 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 is also asking the court to award N1 billion as general damages for libel, citing the gravity of terrorism-related accusations, the extent of their dissemination, and the influence associated with the defendant’s status as a retired senior military officer.
The former army chief further prayed the court to grant a perpetual injunction restraining Ali-Keffi from making or repeating the alleged defamatory statements, and to compel him to bear the full cost of the litigation, including legal fees.
The writ of summons directed the defendant to enter an appearance within 21 days of being served, failing which the court may proceed with the matter in his absence.
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
