President to visit Sambisa Forest

President Muhammadu Buhari will visit

Prior to the takeover of Smbisa by the Army in December 2016, the forest served as training ground for the Boko Haram terrorist sect.

The military declared Sambisa Forest as a proposed site for military institution, building roads into it and kick-starting with the hosting of the annual NASAC competition.

Speaking at a press briefing on Friday, March 24, in Maiduguri, the chief of training and operations in the Army, Major General David Amadu said the NASAC championship would be formally declared open by the President on Monday.

He said the event which will end on Friday, March 31 has lined up a chain of activities which would include medical outreach to Bama, Konduga, and Magumeri IDPs camps, educational training for Army Education Corps in Maiduguri, security awareness meetings with the traditional rulers and distribution of relief materials to IDPs within Maiduguri and surrounding towns.

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The Army chief added that the championship was aimed at testing and shaping the intelligence and professional capacity of the Nigerian Army officers and soldiers as well as equipment.

He noted that President Buhari would be accompanied by the Minister of Defense, Mansur Ali and Service Chiefs, Chief of Defense Staff, General Gabriel Olanisakin, Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai, Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Sadique and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Obet Ebas.