Governors, Tinubu, others laud Buhari, military over capture of Sambisa Forest

State governors and political leaders across the country have been calling President Muhammadu Buhari to congratulate him and the leadership of the armed forces following the takeover of the Sambisa Forest from Boko Haram terrorists.

A statement in Abuja on Sunday by Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, noted that the calls received by the President were from the Governors of Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto.

He stated that the President had also received similar congratulatory messages
from governors in South-East, South-South, South-West and North Central states of the federation.

The Presidential aide said the governors commended the President on the achievement of the feat which they said “has pleased the Nigerian people and is also being celebrated all over the world.”

He added that the governors had assured President Buhari that the whole country was behind him to secure the country, saying there could not be any meaningful development without security.

“The governors also paid tributes to the brave servicemen and women who made supreme sacrifices in the liberation of the Sambisa Forest and hoped that their services would never be forgotten.

“They urged the President to mobilise resources, both human and material, to sustain the gains made so far in the fight against terrorism and economic sabotage.

“The attainment of the armed forces under his leadership was something that was never in doubt at the time of his election in 2015, the governors noted.

They then urged the UN, the U.S., European Union, rich countries of Asia, the Mideast and international aid and donor agencies, to raise their support to Nigeria to quicken the pace of the resettlement and rehabilitation of the millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps across the country.

In his message by his media office on Sunday in Lagos, a former Lagos governor, Bola Tinubu, also congratulated Mr. Buhari and commended the troops for their bravery and resilience, asking them to now move to establish their hold on the area.

“I congratulate the nation, President Buhari and the army for crushing Boko Haram in their last stronghold of Sambisa Forest. I congratulate the troops of Operation Lafiya Dole for their bravery and resilience. They have given the nation a most wonderful Christmas gift,” Mr. Tinubu said.

“I know the insurgents were engaged in their last desperate acts and merely clutching to their last straw. Now they have been put down. Terror will have no place in our land. The end is here.

“I commend the troops. I thank them again for their courage and bravery. It’s time to finish the job and locate and liberate the remaining Chibok schoolgirls abducted from their school in 2014.

“As we sink ourselves in the Christmas celebration, let us remember to pray for the troops. Let us remember that for them, there was no Christmas.

“Let us also spare a thought for the Internally Displaced Persons. We must support them and give them hope”.