Army Will Convert Sambisa Forest To Training Ground – Buratai

SAN FRANCISCO, December 26, (THEWILL) – The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, has declared that Sambisa forest would serve as training ground for personnel of the Nigerian Army as from 2017.

NAN reports that Buratai made the disclosure in Damasak, Borno, while celebrating Christmas with troops of 145 Battalion after the road leading to the town was reopened by Governor Kashim Shettima, after three years of closure.

He said troops were already conducting a mop up operation in the forest after its capture from Boko Haram insurgents.

“We are also opening up roads to Sambisa and Alagarno forest. Sambisa forest is going to be one of our training grounds,” the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) quoted the army chief as saying at the forum.

“I have already directed that we should conduct Nigerian Army small arms championship in that forest next year.

“And we are going to use it also to test our fighting vehicles, other key equipment and weapons that require testing whenever we want to induct new weapon and equipment into the Nigerian army inventory.

“It will afford us very good ground for basic tactics and indeed advance tactics, including but not limited to tactics at the platoon, company, battalion, Brigade and even division levels.

“We are going to make it more robust to make sure that these criminals do not come back to that forest again.”

Story by Oputah David