SAN FRANCISCO, March 26, (THEWILL) – President Muhammadu Buhari will be represented at the Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship holding in Sambisa forest on Monday by the Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali.
This was disclosed to reporters in Maiduguri by the chief of army staff, Tukur Buratai, who said the army chose Sambisa forest for the event in order to consolidate its grip on the area.
The army headquarters had earlier announced that Buhari would declare games open in Sambisa which was the headquarters and former stronghold of the Boko Haram sect in Borno state.
President Buhari would have been the first president to visit the Sambisa and it would have also been his first trip outside the presidential villa in Abuja since he returned to the country after a 49-day medical vacation in the UK.
However, Buratai in making the announcement said the championship was part of the training activities of the Nigerian Army, aimed at sharpening marksmanship of its personal.
“We have been in the north-east, fighting the Boko Haram terrorists, and you know the significance of the Sambisa forest to them,” he said.
“It used to be one of their centres; in fact, we suspect that their command and control centre was located there before its eventual capture.
“We also want the place to be dominated by our troops and also to get firm control, so that we will continue to dominate the area.
“The Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship is part of the training activities scheduled for 2017.
“It is a championship among the formations of the Nigerian Army.
“The objective of the event is to sharpen the marksmanship skills of the army personnel.”
