Sambisa Forest To Become Tourist Site – Army

Nigerian Chief Of Army Staff-Tukur Buratai

Nigerian Army To Turn Sambisa Forest To Tourist Site

The Nigerian Army has on Wednesday, revealed its plan to turn the Sambisa Forest, from being a den of Boko Haram terrorists into a tourist destination.

Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, who revealed the plan, said the Army is collaborating  with National Park Service and Borno State Government in its efforts to turn Sambisa forest to tourist centre to attract tourists into the country.

Bashir Ahmad, President Muhammadu Buhari’s new media aide, tweeted the information..

Ahmad did not say how the military plans to attract tourists to Sambisa while it shelters Boko Haram and a military spokesman did not respond to requests seeking comment. Ahmad’s tweet has generated about 213 comments.

President Buhari and army chief Buratai have said repeatedly the insurgency has been defeated.

Recently, the army launched an operation last hold in Borno to finally uproot the insurgents from the area.

The insurgency began in 2009 when police killed Boko Haram’s leader, Mohammed Yusuf. Before that, the northeastern state of Borno was popular with tourists. Sambisa itself was a game reserve under and after British colonial rule.

More recently, the thick vegetation which extends for hundred of square miles has provided a haven for the militancy and helped thwart army attempts to eradicate the group.

The 2018 blockbuster movie “Black Panther” gives a nod to Sambisa and Boko Haram as the superhero rescued kidnapped schoolgirls from a militant group in the forest.

Many of the actual Chibok girls were held in Sambisa. More than 100 remain unaccounted for, though investigative journalist Ahmad Salkida has said only 30 remain alive.

It is not the first time Nigerian authorities have mooted turning a Boko Haram stronghold into a tourist attraction.

Last year, Borno state officials discussed turning the group founder Yusuf’s house into a museum. This raised concern it could become a place of homage for Boko Haram’s sympathisers.