West African Allied Forces Invade Sambisa Forest

The West African Allied Forces led by the Nigerian military, supported by Chad, Niger and Cameroon, on Thursday stormed the Sambisa Forest in Borno State, killing a good number of insurgents. A top military source told Channels Television that the air forces bombarded the insurgents, before ground forces moved in and incapacitated the insurgents. Already the insurgents have been pushed out of Gamboru which lies on the Nigerian border with Cameroon. At the moment, the military, have crossed into the eastern fringe of Borno State, targeting other areas under Boko Haram control. The forest is widely believed to host some of the training camps and facilities of Boko Haram in the North-East. It was learnt that the military high command decided to invade the vast forest in order to make the North-West safe for the general elections. The National Information Centre (NIC), had on Thursday said it has received intelligence reports indicating a considerable movement of Boko Haram recruits from locations such as Geidam, Mairi and Dupcha (all in Borno State) to training camps within the general area. Addressing a news conference in Abuja, Coordinator of the Centre, Mr Mike Omeri, said that previous major attacks by insurgents, including the siege on Bama and Monguno military bases, were preceded by such massing up of fighters in training camps within the proposed targets. Mr Omeri, however, added that the Nigerian military forces have been fully mobilised and deployed against the insurgents, who are being chased and roundly subdued. He advised members of the public to exercise a high level of vigilance and also support the effort of the military to ensure hitch-free elections and a return to normalcy in the North East. “We urge the public to exercise a high level of vigilance and support the military to ensure hitch-free elections and a return to normalcy in the general area, soonest. “We also seize this opportunity to restate government’s commitment to keeping the country and its citizens safe from those who seek to destroy the nation,” he said. Mr Omeri also called on the civil society organisations and politicians to refrain from “disruptive and inciting statements”.