Sambisa is as large as Belgium and security forces are overwhelmed, defence minister says

Nigeria’s defence minister has defended the government’s response to insecurity by pointing to the scale of the terrain where terrorists operate. Christopher Musa said Sambisa Forest is comparable in size to Belgium, making rescue operations difficult.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Musa said security forces were rescuing abducted victims regularly. He added that terrorists often disappear into forests before troops can locate them, because information about an abduction may reach authorities only after the captors have fled.

Musa said security operations can require prolonged efforts to trace the groups through large forest areas. Describing a recent operation in Kwara State, he said forces isolated the area where the abductors were heading and cut off their access to supplies before rescuing the victims.

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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.

He said terrorists sometimes abandon captives when security forces apply pressure. The minister also said ransom payments could generate leads for tracing criminal groups, while the Central Bank of Nigeria was working to monitor funds connected to criminal activity.

Musa urged state governors to reconsider distributing motorcycles as palliatives, warning that some could eventually reach terrorists and improve their mobility. The comparison with Belgium has also drawn a distinction between the broad area commonly called Sambisa Forest and the officially designated Sambisa Game Reserve, which covers a much smaller area.

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Once these abductions are done, before the information gets to anybody, these guys are already into the forest.