Former Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Yusufu Buratai (retd.), has instituted a ₦1 billion defamation go well with towards one other retired senior army officer, Maj. Gen. Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi (retd.), earlier than the Kaduna State High Court.
The go well with, filed on January 8, 2026, on the Kaduna Judicial Division of the High Court, accuses Ali-Keffi of creating and circulating allegedly false, malicious and defamatory statements linking Gen Buratai to terrorism financing, Boko Haram suspects, and the unlawful launch and concealment of terror suspects.
Buratai, by his counsel, A.I. Aliyu and A.M. Hassan of Law Plus Consult, is looking for declarations that the statements credited to the defendant and revealed on a number of on-line platforms, together with Sahara Reporters and different information and social media retailers, are defamatory and injurious to his fame.
According to courtroom paperwork, the plaintiff contends that the defendant granted interviews in 2025 by which he allegedly insinuated that Buratai had hyperlinks to terror suspects and financiers, and that he was concerned in conspiracies to cowl up terrorism-related actions throughout his tenure as Chief of Army Staff.
The former military chief maintains that the publications have been extensively circulated on-line and on social media platforms comparable to Facebook, X (previously Twitter), WhatsApp and Instagram, giving the allegations nationwide and worldwide attain.
In his assertion of declare, Buratai described the allegations as fully false, stressing that he has by no means been investigated, indicted or convicted for terrorism, terrorism financing or any associated offence.
He argued that the statements portrayed him as corrupt, unpatriotic and complicit in acts inimical to Nigeria’s nationwide safety, thereby gravely damaging his fame, honour and standing domestically and internationally.
He additional alleged that the defendant acted recklessly and maliciously, regardless of admitting in the identical publications that no investigation had established Buratai’s involvement in terrorism financing.
Buratai is asking the courtroom to order Ali-Keffi to instantly retract the alleged defamatory statements and publish an unreserved public apology with equal prominence in Sahara Reporters, two nationwide newspapers, and on all social media platforms the place the statements have been circulated.
The plaintiff is claiming ₦1 billion as common damages for libel and damage to fame, citing the gravity of terrorism-related allegations, the extensive circulation of the publications, and the defendant’s standing as a retired senior army officer.
In addition, Buratai is looking for a perpetual injunction restraining the defendant from additional publishing or repeating the alleged defamatory statements, in addition to an order compelling him to pay the complete price of the go well with, together with solicitor’s charges.
The writ of summons directs Ali-Keffi to enter an look inside 21 days of service, failing which the courtroom might proceed to listen to the matter in his absence.
As of the time of submitting this report, no date has been mounted for the graduation of listening to, and the defendant has not filed a response to the go well with.
