Buhari’ll not visit Sambisa on Monday – Buratai

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.Tukur Buratai, has said President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, will not be at this year's Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship holding in the Sambisa forest to consolidate the army's grip on the area on Monday.
He said the president would be represented at the opening of the event by the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mannir Dan-Ali.
Buratai announced this while speaking with newsmen on the final arrangements for the event on Saturday in Maiduguri.
"We have been in the North East, fighting the Boko Haram terrorists, and you know the significance of the Sambisa forest to them.
"It used to be one of their centres; in fact, we suspect that their command and control centre was located there before its eventual capture,'' the COAS said.
He added that following the eventual capture of camp zairo, the Army wanted to consolidate its operations by ensuring that the place was secured.
"We also want the place to be dominated by our troops and also to get firm control, so that we will continue to dominate the area''.
Buratai said that the championship was part of the training activities of the Nigerian Army, aimed at sharpening marksmanship of its personal.
"The Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship is part of the training activities scheduled for 2017.
"It is a championship among the formations of the Nigerian Army.
"The objective of the event is to sharpen the marksmanship skills of the army personnel''.
According to Buratai, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, will be represented at the opening of the event on Monday by the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mannir Dan-Ali.