The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has stated that the vast size of the Sambisa Forest is overwhelming security forces and complicating efforts to combat terrorism and rescue kidnapped victims.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Musa said the scale of the forest is often underestimated by the public.
“Sambisa Forest is as big as Belgium, as a country. So when people talk about this, they make it look as if it is one small football field and we are refusing to do anything,” the minister said.
He explained that the expansive terrain allows terrorists to evade capture after carrying out abductions, often disappearing into the forest before security agencies receive intelligence and can respond.
“These places are massive areas… That’s why operations are difficult,” Musa added. He noted that security forces continue to rescue abducted persons on a daily basis, with significant numbers recovered in recent operations.
The minister also pointed out that forest corridors stretching from Burkina Faso through Benin Republic into Nigeria further complicate tracking and containment efforts. He said troops have in some cases denied terrorists access to supplies, forcing them to abandon captives.