Lt.-General Tukur Buratai (rtd), former Chief of Army Staff and Ambassador to Benin Republic, has strongly denied allegations linking him to terrorism financing, calling the claims false and part of a deliberate smear campaign.
In a statement released on Saturday and signed by his former Army spokesperson, Brig.-General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Buratai said the insinuation contradicts both facts and his lifelong commitment to defending Nigeria against terrorism. The statement followed an online report connecting him and other high-profile individuals to terrorism financiers.
Buratai emphasized that throughout his career, he has never been investigated, questioned, or associated with terrorism financing by any security agency, intelligence service, judicial panel, or oversight body.
The statement accused Sahara Reporters of misrepresenting facts by relying solely on unverified claims from Major General Danjuma Ali-Keffi (rtd), describing the report as malicious and lacking legal or factual basis.
Highlighting his decades-long service, Buratai noted that under his leadership, the Nigerian Army dealt significant blows to Boko Haram and ISWAP, reclaimed occupied territories, restored civil administration, and facilitated the return of displaced Nigerians to their homes.
“It defies logic to suggest that the same person who led decisive operations against terrorism could be linked to the very elements he fought throughout his career,” the statement said.
The statement concluded by demanding that Sahara Reporters and Major General Ali-Keffi immediately retract the publication and issue a public apology. It warned that failure to comply would result in legal action to protect Buratai’s reputation.
