PDP lauds Buhari, military for clearing Sambisa forest

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for their dogged pursuit of the war against insurgency which led to the clearing of the dreaded Sambisa Forest of Boko Haram terrorists.

The PDP, in a statement on Tuesday by its national Publicity Secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, described the feat as a welcome development in the fight against terrorism.

The party while saying that clearing of the Sambisa forest is a critical milestone added however that it (the clearing of Sambisa forest) is not the end of the war against insurgency.

The Government and the military, it said, must not rest on their oars.

Rather, the PDP maintained that the hot pursuit of the terrorists must continue unabated and relentlessly until the entire North East is rid completely of them.

The party stressed that beyond Sambisa, all the other forests which criminals used 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.

The PDP statement, reads, “A few days ago, the military hierarchy announced that the military has cleared the Dreaded Sambisa Forest of Boko Haram terrorists. This is a welcome development in the fight against terrorism.

“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.

The PDP said that whatever the country is witnessing now is as a result of all the efforts and sacrifices of the past and present, stressing that 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.

The party saluted the men and women of the armed forces for their courage, determination and sacrifice that made the achievement possible.

The party also noted that 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.

“We also thank the international community for their support and encouragement particularly, those countries that have helped in the procurement of critical military hardware. The clearing of the 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.

It called on government to keep the tempo of the war against insurgency high stressing “the hot pursuit of the terrorists must continue unabated and relentlessly until the entire North East is rid completely of them.

“Beyond Sambisa all the other forests which criminals used 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”, it said.