Former Military President, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), is highly delighted on the news of successful operations of our gallant military personnel in the Sambisa forest.
In a statement by the media office of the former head of state, obtained by PRNigeria, IBB said: “It is a sign of relief, that the military has finally smocked out Boko Haram terrorists from their notorious enclave of Sambisa forest.”
General Babangida also saluted the courage and determination of President Muhammadu Buhari, Army chiefs, as well as armed men and women and other security personnel for their sacrifice for the painful liberation of Sambisa Forest and adjoining abode of Boko Haram.
He said: “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, General Babangida hoped that very soon the remaining Chibok girls would be located and reunited with their families.
The former military president reaffirmed his earlier stance that, “President Muhammadu Buhari and the military are capable of crushing any challenge against the territorial integrity of Nigeria.”
He paid tributes to all fallen heroes for paying the supreme sacrifice in their efforts of keeping the nation from aggression, saying: “’the labour of our heroes past, shall never be in vain.”
However, General Babangida 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 Niger State governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello, described the capture of CAMP ZERO, Sambisa Forest, which was the last stronghold of Boko Haram, as a global achievement made possible by the political will of President Buhari and the commitment of the Armed Forces and other security agencies.
Governor Sani Bello said the destruction of Sambisa Forest was a clear and strong message to all criminal elements in the country of the capacity and willingness of the Armed Forces and other security agencies, as well as the political will of President Buhari in securing every inch of Nigeria.
In a congratulatory message signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mallam Jibrin Baba Ndace, the governor said the destruction of CAMP ZERO was an indication that with the right leadership, temperament, conducive environment and political will, the Nigerian Armed Forces and other security agencies are capable of defeating any criminal elements operating within the country.
The governor called on security agencies to work together in ensuring that all ‘CAMP ZEROs’ are cleared in Nigeria.
Speaking during a press conference in Kaduna, the national president of Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF), Alhaji Adadu Adadu, who commended the army for its resilience and sacrifices that led to victory over the insurgents, said the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists would revive the economy in the North-East, as investors who hitherto left would be encouraged to return.
He said the defeat of Boko Haram was an event that had brought 2016 to a close on a positive note, “Irrespective of any other unpleasant experiences we might have had as a people during the year.”
Adadu said: “The Northern Youth Leaders Forum (NYLF) heartily thank the Nigerian Army, all the other military services, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Tukur Buratai and other military chiefs for defeating the enemies of Nigeria.
“Boko Haram killed without thoughts for their victims’ ethnicity, creed or geographical origin, it was a thorn in our flesh collectively and the Army has, therefore, brought relief to us all and not just a particular location or people. The joy from this act of valour is across board.
“It is remarkable that Boko Haram was defeated against all odds. NYLF had at some point in the past appealed to the Nigerian Army not to be distracted by those reading political meanings into its action. We had also in the past urged the COAS not to slow down in his zeal on account of propaganda mounted against him by Boko Haram sponsors and sympathisers.”
Also, the Pan Yoruba Youth organisation, the National Committee of Yoruba Youths, lauded the landmark victory of the Nigerian Army in the battle against the Boko Haram insurgents.
Reacting, to the Nigerian Army’s capture of the once dreaded Sambisa forest, believed to be the operational headquarters of the Boko Haram terrorists in the country, president of the Yoruba youths, Comrade Odeyemi Oladimeji, in a telephone conversation, described the capture as a milestone in the war against terrorism in Nigeria.
He added that the victory also justified the earlier claims by the leadership of the Nigerian Army, that the military had since gained the upper hand against the Boko Haram.
Oladimeji said “We salute the officers of the Nigerian Army for their untiring and gallant commitment to making the Boko Haram insurgents feel the tremendous heat of our military power, which has been unleashed on them; therefore, abandoning the once dreaded Sambisa forest to the gallant troops of the Nigerian army.”