Former Chief of Army Staff and former Ambassador to Benin Republic, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai (rtd), has firmly denied reports suggesting that he was involved in financing terrorism.
He said the claim was not only false, but completely against everything he stood for throughout his military career.
Buratai’s reaction came through a statement issued on Saturday and signed by former Army spokesperson, Brig.-Gen. Sani Kukasheka Usman (rtd).
The statement was released after an online publication linked the former Army Chief and some other individuals to alleged terrorism financiers.
According to the statement, the accusation was “baseless, misleading, and deliberately crafted to damage his name.”
It stressed that Buratai had never been investigated, interrogated, indicted, or connected to any terror-related funding by any security or intelligence body at any point in his career.
The statement explained that no official institution whether military, diplomatic, judicial, or administrative had ever associated the former Army Chief with any form of terrorism financing.
It added that the publication relied solely on the personal allegations of retired Major-General Danjuma Ali-Keffi, which it described as malicious and lacking any factual support.
Buratai’s camp said it was disappointing but unsurprising that his name was once again targeted in an attempt to stain his public image.
They noted that similar attempts had been made in the past, but all of them failed because his service record remained clean and well-documented.
The retired General emphasized that he spent over 40 years fighting terrorism, strengthening counter-insurgency operations, and helping the military reclaim territories previously seized by Boko Haram and ISWAP.
Under his leadership, the Army restored government presence in many communities and enabled displaced families to return to their homes.
The statement questioned the logic behind accusing a man who led several successful military campaigns against terrorists of backing the same groups he spent years confronting.
It insisted that the allegation defied reason and was a direct attack on his honour.
Buratai has now demanded that the publication, along with Ali-Keffi, withdraw the story and issue a public apology.
He warned that failure to comply would leave him with no option but to initiate legal action to defend his reputation.