President Buhari hails Army Chief, soldiers for conquering Sambisa forest

General Buratai, saluting the Commander in Chief of the
Armed Forces, Fed Republic of Nigeria,
Muhammadu Buhari 

By Blogger

The Nigerian president, a retired military General, has on Saturday sent out words of praise to the Nigerian chief of army staff Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai for leading own troops to conquer the dreaded Sambisa forest.

Sambisa, a former forest reserve of Borno state government has been the main hideout and hell hole of the Boko Haram insurgents in the past seven years.

Boko Haram had maintained control of the area using it as their main training ground and fortress.

The forest has a very unfriendly terrain that is mostly difficult to traverse especially during the wet seasons.

The Boko Haram fighters took advantage of such difficult geography that they in most cases understand  better than the soldiers, by continuing to use it as a shield.

The area was said to have been dotted with hundreds of landmines which had caused the death of many soldiers attempting to invade it.

But with persistence and continued review os stratagem, the troops finally overcome the myths of Sambisa. The forest eventually fell following the launch of Operation Grand Finale by the Chief of Army Staff in October.

The liberation of Sambisa synchronised with the rescue of 21 more Chibok schoolgirls.

The president was happy that troops under his watchful command were able to achieve what cynics predicted might never happen.

He did not hide his delight in a letter he sent out to the soldiers. 

"I am delighted at, and most proud of the gallant troops of the Nigerian Army, on receipt of the long-awaited and most gratifying news of the final crushing of Boko Haram terrorists in their last enclave in Sambisa Forest.

"I want to use this opportunity to commend the determination, courage and resilience of troops of Operation Lafiya Dole at finally entering and crushing the remnants of the Boko Haram insurgents at "Camp Zero", which is located deep within the heart of Sambisa Forest.

Gallant troops celebrating victory of Boko Haram 

"I was told by the Chief of Army Staff that the Camp fell at about 1:35pm on Friday, December 22, and that the terrorists are on the run, and no longer have a place to hide.  I urge you to maintain the tempo by pursuing them and bringing them to justice.

"I, therefore, call on all Nigerians to cooperate and support the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies by providing useful information that will expose all the terrorists hiding among the populace.
Further efforts should be intensified to locate and free our remaining Chibok girls still in captivity. May God be with them.

"I also want to congratulate and commend the able leadership of the Nigerian Army in particular and indeed, that of the Armed Forces in general, for making this possible. This, no doubt, will go a long way in improving the security situation not only in the North East, but the country in general.  But we must not let our guards down.

"Once more, congratulations to our troops and all who, in one way or the other, contributed to this most commendable and momentous effort. May the Almighty continue to be with you.
"I wish you a Merry Christmas and a most rewarding and peaceful Year 2017 ahead". 

MUHAMMADU BUHARI
PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA
December 24, 2016.