……prepares for 2017 weapons championship
Following the directive of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, of holding this year’s Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship (NASAC 2017), in Sambisa Forest, Borno State, the Nigerian Army Engineers (NAE) Corps has mobilized to site and commenced access roads clearance and construction of range and other facilities.
According to a statement by Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman, Director Army Public Relations, work has started in turning the forest into a training ground
Buratai said this in Damasak, Borno, while celebrating Christmas with troops of 145 Battalion after the road leading to the town was reopened by Gov. Kashim Shettima, three years after closure.
He said “We are also opening up roads to Sambisa and Alagarno forest. Sambisa forest is going to be one of our training grounds.
“I have already directed that we should conduct Nigerian Army small arms championship in that forest Next year.
“And we are going to use it also to test fire our fighting vehicles, other key equipment and weapons that requires testing whenever we want to induct new weapon and equipment into the Nigerian army inventory.
“It will afford us very good ground for basic tactics and indeed advance tactics, including but not limited to tactics at the Platoon, company, battalion, Brigade and even division levels.
“We are going to make it more robust to make sure that these criminals do not come back to that forest again.”
He said troops were already conducting a mop up operation in the forest after the last strong hold of the Boko Haram terrorists was captured.
Until recently, Sambisa Forest was the stronghold of the dreaded Boko Haram terrorists that terrorized the North Eastern part of the country.
