How Troops Of The Nigerian Army Captured Sambisa Forest  

Concise News correspondents

The one month long military offensive that led to the capture of Sambisa Forest last Thursday was led by “the best hands” in the Nigerian Army and Air Force, Concise News has reliably gathered.

Before the renewed offensive to reclaim the dreaded forest where Boko Haram fighters held sway since 2013, officers between the ranks of Lieutenants, Captains and Majors normally led operations, reports DailyTrust.

This time around, more senior officers led the operation on all fronts during the final onslaught. It was gathered that the officers, besides various training they obtained at home, have been trained abroad and had participated in serious military operations.

The 60,000 square kilometres (23,000 sq mi) Sambisa Forest had been the nightmare of the Nigerian security forces, including their foreign allies, who provided various security reports over the years.

It was gathered that some of the fighting troops were mobilized with light rocket propelled grenades [RPGs], weapons they did not use previously.  The light RPGs, according to one of our sources, could be carried by soldiers on their shoulders for long distances because of their light weight. The weapon can be used against far flung targets.

4,200 soldiers were involved

A total of 4, 200 soldiers were involved in the final offensive to claim Boko Haram’s last fortress.

“With the exception of one major of the Nigerian Army, all the commanding officers that led the 4,200 troops into the Sambisa Forest are of the rank of Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel,” a soldier who participated in the operation said.

“The Bama axis was led by a Colonel who viciously decimated many Boko Haram fighters. Together with his troops, he captured Alafa 1, 11 and 111 in the Sambisa Forest and freed over 1,000 people. He also captured nearly 500 suspects, mostly men who are being interrogated for having links with the Boko Haram.

“Some of the suspects are claiming that they were forcefully conscripted into the violent group while others have admitted that they belong to the group,” added the source.

Another source said the Konduga/Aulari axis of the Sambisa Forest was captured by a daring Major.

“This Major is one of the heroes in the Nigerian Army. He was very close to the late Lieutenant Colonel Abu Ali of blessed memory. He knows the Sambisa Forest very well and was therefore directed to approach the forest through the infamous Gate One,” the source said.

“The Ngurosoye axis of the Sambisa Forest was led by a Lieutenant Colonel who is also a fearless and versatile officer. His 151 Battalion is known as Blocking Force. His troops recovered many AK47 rifles of fleeing Boko Haram insurgents and they also freed many women and children,” the source also added.

The real operation

Sources said that during the planning to re-take Sambisa Forest, Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Lt. General Tukur Buratai frequented Maiduguri almost on daily basis.

“Sometimes he passed the night there (in Maiduguri) and sometimes he went back to Abuja. He personally commanded the general operation,” an officer who pleaded anonymity said.

He said radar with monitors was mounted at the 7 Division of the Nigerian Army and everything, including troop movement; logistics, ground operation and aerial reconnaissance both day and night were closely monitored with precision.

“The close monitoring from Maiduguri helped a great deal in reducing mistakes. This gave the troops the confidence to relentlessly march on during operations. The fact that the mine detectors deployed to the Sambisa forest also demobilized all the bombs planted by the insurgents gave our troops added impetus. The mine detectors normally detonated most of the IEDs with ease and also cleared the terrain for armoured vehicles to move freely.”

De-radicalized BokoHaram commanders were valuable

Some Boko Haram commanders and foot soldiers who were arrested long ago and ‘de-radicalized’ were also imbedded in the operation, another source disclosed.

“The repentant insurgents, some members of the civilian JTF and local vigilantes know the Sambisa Forest very well, far better than the maps we used in the operation and therefore, they assisted greatly in helping us to locate hideouts.

“Also, sophisticated fighter jets and drones that have capacity to monitor things as far as away as 600 meters were deployed to the Sambisa forest and worked day and night,” he said.

Fall of ‘Camp Zero’

A military officer disclosed that the last week offensive was not the first time attempt had been made to capture ‘Camp Zero’ in Sambisa Forest where the factional leader of Boko Haram, Abubakar Shekau used as his hide.

“This is the second time Camp Zero is taken. The first was during the JTF (Joint Task Force) in June 2013 before it (JTF) was disbanded and the area was later lost completely,” the officer said.

Worry in the army

Despite the phenomenal success recorded, there is worry among the military high command because some of the things expected to be recovered from camp zero were not found.

“It is likely that they (Boko Haram) have moved somewhere because they moved away with their equipment and prized possessions, including the Chibok girls in possession of Shekau group,” said a military officer.

It was learnt that while some of the Chibok girls and other captives are with the Shekau camp, many of them are with the Mamman Nur faction, led by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, son of the group’s late Mohammed Yusuf. They are suspected to be held in other cells in northern Borno State.

“Camp Zero has for a long time been an objective for our troops but it is not the end of Sambisa in the true sense of the crisis. Boko Haram terrorists have been trained in the art of war, so it is likely they moved away for tactical reasons,” he said.

The source said the COAS, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole as well as the GOCs of the army’s 3, 7 and 8 Divisions and other key Army Headquarters officers held a marathon meeting on December 24 and continued meeting yesterday on the operations in the North East.

Their main concern in the meeting was said to be the disappearance of Boko Haram leaders with their equipment and lack of trace of the Chibok girls.

Sources said beside the equipment found there, Boko Haram fighters had raided many workshops and laboratories in schools around the Sambisa Forest in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states and had fabricated fighting equipment and chemicals with the facilities they carted away.

How Camp Zero looks like

There is controversy as to how Camp Zero actually looks like. Some soldiers that participated in the operation said it has two underground buildings and tunnels as well as hardware and equipment for the training of the disbanded National Guards.

Some said that the place was actually inherited from the Sambisa Game Reserve.

“The National Guard were to train there but were never there. A team went to inspect the place in the 80s but the movement and training did not hold. The solid structure there belonged to the forest management authority,” the military source said.

In what may be described as a calculated move to occupy the conquered territory and also prevent the terrorist group from re-grouping in Sambisa, the Chief of Army Staff Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai has declared the forest as army’s new base.

Materials from Daily Trust were used in this report