The Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Tukur Buratai has disclosed that Sambisa Forest, which was recently recovered from insurgents, will now serve as training centre for the army.
He said already, he had directed that the Nigerian Army small arms championship for 2017 should hold in the forest.
This is just as former military president, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida has hailed the successful recovery of Sambisa Forest by the Nigeria Military, saying it has further confirmed his confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari will crush Boko Haram.
Speaking at a camp fire ceremony with troops of 145 Battalion Damasak, Borno State, to mark Christmas celebration, Buratai said: “We are opening up roads in Sambisa Forest to site a base. It is going to be one of our training centres in the country as well as ground for testing acquired equipment before putting them into operation. A similar thing will be established at Alagarno, the former acclaimed spiritual base of Boko Haram before their defeat there.
“ We want to thank you, officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, especially the theatre commander, Operation Lafiya Dole, the GOCs and all the soldiers fighting insurgency in Borno and Northeast for bringing Boko Haram terrorists to their knees. My gratitude also goes to the officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Air Force and Nigerian Navy whose collaboration has made the work fruitful.”
Earlier, the Chief of Army Staff reopened the Maiduguri-Gubio-Kareto-Damasak and Maiduguri-Monguno-Baga highways for commercial activities, following the emerging peace in Borno, with a strong warning to the personnel and members of National Union of Road Transport workers and National Union of Road Transport Employees to desist from any sort of extortion on the highways.
The two major highways, which are transit routes for trade between Nigeria, Chad and Niger Republic, particularly in the areas of smoked fish, hide and skin, cattle, gum Arabic, rice and beans, among others, were closed two years ago by the military because of Boko Haram activities.
Buratai charged troops to ensure that the highways are not only free from accidents, but also free from insurgents.
“This is a great day as the occasion is dedicated to members of Road Transport workers and Employers whose activities were crippled by Boko Haram.
“But I must warn everyone assigned on this road not to indulge in any form of extortion from the road users as anyone caught will be dealt with,” he warned.
Borno state governor, Kashim Shettima, who witnessed the reopening of the roads, described this year’s Christmas as the best since his election as governor, because of the remarkable events in his life and that of Borno
“Since I was elected as governor of Borno state, this is the best Christmas I have ever witnessed. It is in this Christmas that the Nigerian Army established their supremacy against Boko Haram in Sambisa. It is in this 2016 that many communities were liberated from Boko Haram. It is in this same year that the 21 Chibok girls were rescued at once by the military. It is Borno and Nigeria’s year of Victory,” the governor stated.
In a statement in Minna, Niger State, yesterday, Babangida said he was highly delighted with the news of the successful operations of “Our gallant military personnel in the Sambisa Forest.”
He lauded the courage and determination of President Buhari, army chiefs and other security personnel for their sacrifices for the liberation of Sambisa Forest and adjoining abodes of Boko Haram.
The former president reiterated that the crushing of Boko Haram in Sambisa Forest has reaffimed his position that “President Muhammed Buhari and the military are capable of crushing any challenge of territorial integrity of Nigeria.”
“May I rejoice with the government and Nigerians on the successful dislodging of Boko Haram from their base in Sambisa. With the successful takeover of the Sambisa Forest, l hope that very soon, the remaining Chibok girls will be located and reunited with their families,” he added.
Babangida also paid tributes to all fallen heroes for paying the supreme sacrifice in their efforts of keeping the nation from aggression.
According to him, “the labour of our heroes past shall never been in vain.”
He further urged the military to unveil a new strategy of further defeating pockets of insurgents/terrorists, armed bandits and cattle rustlers all over the country.
Meanwhile, the federal government has congratulated the gallant troops of the Nigerian military for finally seizing the Sambisa Forest from the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists and securing the North-east, paving the way for the re-opening of two strategic roads in Borno state.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a statement, appealed to Nigerians to continue to support the troops as they clear the remnants of the terrorists who are now on the run.
He also called for increased vigilance among Nigerians, as Boko Haram escapees seek to integrate themselves into communities far and near, saying eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.
‘’We urge Nigerians to keep our gallant and victorious troops in their prayers, and to also imbibe the mantra of ‘if you see something, say something’ as a way of ensuring that no escaped terrorist is able to wreak havoc in their communities. It is also important to know that now that they have been dispossessed of their fortress, the Boko Haram escapees will intensify their cowardly attacks on vulnerable targets if only to maintain an illusion of terror. But there should be no panic because the worst is over,’’ Alhaji Mohammed said.
While commending the military for the re-opening of the Maiduguri-Gubio-Damasak road and the Maiduguri-Mungono-Baga road, he hailed Governor Shettima for his unwavering support for the military and his administration’s determination to quickly restore normalcy across the state.
The Minister said it was in recognition and celebration of the great feat performed by the military that he decided to lead over 30 Nigerian and international journalists to join the minister of defence, Brigadier Gen Mansur Dan Ali (retd), the service chiefs and the Governor of Borno state, at the opening of the two strategic roads.
Alhaji Mohammed said overall, the leadership provided by President Buhari provided the much-needed impetus for the military’s victory in the North-east, and urged Nigerians to continue to give their unalloyed support to the president in his untiring efforts to restore peace and security across the country and also revamp the economy.
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