Clearing of Sambisa forest not end of war against insurgency —PDP

 

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commended the Federal Government and the nation’s Armed Forces for clearing the Sambisa forest of Boko Haram insurgents. It, however, noted that the capture of the forest doesn’t represent an end to the war against insurgency.

In a statement in Abuja, yesterday, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, commended the President for building on the successes achieved by his predecessor, President Goodluck Jonathan. He, however, added that beyond clearing Sambisa forest, all other forests that had provided haven for criminals nationwide should be cleared. He said: “The clearing of Sambisa forest is a critical milestone but not the end of the war against insurgency. The government and the military must not rest on their oars. The hot pursuit of the terrorists must continue unabated and relentlessly until the entire North-East is rid of them. “Beyond Sambisa, all other forests which criminals use as hideouts and bases must equally be cleared by the military. “Forests such as Birnin Gwari, Zamfara, Southern Kaduna, Enugu and Benue have become killing fields. They must all be cleared of criminal elements. “In the spirit of the Yuletide, we urge all Nigerians to extend goodwill to one another. More than ever before, all hands must be on deck to ensure the peace and unity of our dear country without which we can never hope to meet our developmental aspirations.” Adeyeye said the feat achieved by the military in Borno State was a welcome development in the fight against terrorism. He said: “We congratulate Nigerians for this important milestone in the long and bitter struggle against the forces of evil that have wreaked so much suffering and hardship on our people in the last few years. “We also congratulate the President for his dogged pursuit of the war against insurgency. We are happy that he has built on the efforts of his predecessors. “Whatever we are witnessing now is as a result of all the efforts and sacrifices of the past and present. Nigerians and the international community will recall that the war effort received a major boost in the weeks leading up to the 2015 general elections. “The insurgents were virtually annihilated, a feat that made it possible for elections to hold peacefully in almost all the local government areas of all the states in the North-East last year. We are, therefore, very much delighted with the continuation of this great effort by the President. “We salute the men and women of our beloved armed forces. Their courage, determination and sacrifice made this achievement possible. ‘’The men and women of the Nigerian Armed Forces have served and continue to serve with distinction in many peace keeping operations all over the world. We salute them for fighting with great courage to keep the peace in their own country.”  Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/12/clearing-sambisa-forest-not-end-war-insurgency-pdp/