OndoReporter | Sambisa Forest: Chief of Army Staff, Buratai has vindicated me — Omokri

OndoReporter | Sambisa Forest: Chief of Army Staff, Buratai has vindicated me — Omokri

Reno Omokri, former New Media aide to
President Goodluck Jonathan, has said that
the recent declaration by the Chief of Army
staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusuf Buratai,
that Sambisa is as big as Enugu, has
vindicated him.

In June 2014, Omokri, tweeted that Sambisa
Forest was larger than the whole of Lagos and
Nigerians should commend the armed forces
for the difficult job of routing terrorists from
the forest. He was accused of lying by
loyalists of the then opposition party, All
Progressives Congress, APC, who attacked his
claim and widely mocked him.

However, Buratai speaking to the officers and
men of the 82nd Division of the Nigerian Army
on Thursday vindicated Omokri by confirming
that Sambisa is not only bigger than Lagos
state, it is also bigger than Enugu state.
“We are already in Sambisa forest, but
Sambisa is as big as Enugu state, which
needs thorough planning for logistics and other
manpower needed," he said.

He further said that the size of Sambisa
"accounts for the delay in flushing out the
insurgents.”

In terms of size, Enugu state is 7,161 km2
(2,765 sq mi) while Lagos state is just half of
the size of Enugu state at 3,577 km2 (1,381 sq
mi).

Reno Omokri had repeatedly appealed to
Nigerians to be patient with the army over the
issue of sweeping Sambisa off terrorists, an
appeal that was dismissed by the then
opposition.