The National Industrial Court of Nigeria, Abuja, on Wednesday heard a multi-billion-naira suit filed by a retired Nigerian Army Major General, Danjuma Hamisu Ali-Keffi, against the top hierarchy of the military over his compulsory retirement.
The suit, marked NICN/48/399/2025, lists the Nigerian Army, the Chief of Army Staff, the Nigerian Army Council, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Armed Forces Council, the Minister of Defence and the Attorney-General of the Federation as 1st to 7th respondents.
At the resumed proceedings, the Nigerian Army filed a statement of defence and raised preliminary objections, arguing that the court lacks jurisdiction to entertain the matter.
The defendants further contended that the suit is statute-barred, insisting that Ali-Keffi failed to appeal his compulsory retirement to the Army Council within the 90-day period stipulated under the Armed Forces Act.
The court subsequently adjourned the matter until April 30, 2026, for the hearing of the preliminary objections.
In his suit, Ali-Keffi is challenging what he described as his “dishonourable compulsory retirement,” alleging that he was unlawfully arrested, detained for 64 days, tortured and denied a fair hearing.
He maintained that the actions taken against him violated the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Armed Forces Act and existing military regulations.
According to court documents, the retired general was arrested on October 18, 2021, and detained until December 21, 2021.
He claimed that throughout the period of detention, he was never formally informed of any allegations, never charged with any offence and never subjected to a court-martial or disciplinary proceedings.
Ali-Keffi argued that his detention breached his right to personal liberty under Section 35 of the Constitution and his right to fair hearing under Section 36.
He also alleged that the harsh detention conditions led to a physical collapse that required three days of hospitalisation, describing the treatment as torture and degrading.
The claimant, who was appointed in October 2020 by the late President Muhammadu Buhari to head Operation Service Wide, a covert Presidential Task Force, said he had raised concerns over the release of terrorism financing suspects while they were in military custody.
Operation Service Wide comprised personnel from the military, security and intelligence agencies, as well as legal officers from the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, and was mandated to arrest and prosecute financiers and sponsors of terrorist organisations.
In a recent interview, Ali-Keffi lamented that all terrorism financing suspects in Army custody were released and claimed his detention was linked to his stance on the issue.
He further alleged that following his retirement, he and his family received death threats, forcing them to undertake at least eight unplanned trips to the United Kingdom and Saudi Arabia for safety.
Ali-Keffi is asking the court to award ₦100bn as compensatory damages for unlawful arrest, detention, torture, breach of fair hearing and psychological trauma.
He is also seeking another ₦100bn as punitive and exemplary damages for what he termed the “oppressive, arbitrary and unconstitutional” actions of the defendants.
In addition, he is claiming ₦120m as special damages, representing allowances he said would have accrued to him from January 2022 to January 2026, when he would have attained the mandatory retirement age of 60, at ₦2.5m per month.
The claimant is further seeking an order nullifying his compulsory retirement letter and directing the defendants to treat him as having voluntarily retired upon attaining 60 years of age.
He also prayed the court to order full payment of all pensions, gratuities and terminal benefits due to him, with 10 per cent interest per annum until final liquidation.
