Defence Minister reveals why rescuing abducted victims from Sambisa is difficult

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The Minister of Defence, General Christopher Musa (retd.), has explained that the vast size of the Sambisa Forest is one of the major factors making the rescue of people abducted by terrorists particularly challenging.

Musa made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to combat terrorism and kidnapping across the country.

According to the Defence Minister, security agencies have successfully rescued many abducted Nigerians, but kidnappers often retreat into expansive forest areas before troops can locate and reach them.

“Few ones now, efforts have been made. If you notice, on a daily basis now, we are really getting, rescuing a lot of them,” Musa said.

“So this government is overwhelmed. 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.”

Musa explained that the enormous size and difficult terrain of the forest often give terrorists an advantage after carrying out attacks.

He said kidnappers could move deep into the bush before information about an abduction reaches security agencies, making it more difficult for troops to immediately identify their exact locations.

“These places are massive areas. The forest within Kwara comes in from Burkina Faso to Benin Republic into Nigeria and flows through all these things,” he said.

“So what they do is that once these abductions are done, before the information gets to anybody, these guys are already into the forest.”

The minister stated that security forces sometimes have to cut off terrorists from their regular movement routes and supply networks before rescue operations can succeed.

He cited a recent operation in Kwara State where security operatives rescued abducted victims after restricting the movements of their captors.

“And then the last one that was done in Kwara State, we had to quarantine where they were going, deny them oxygen, and that’s where we were able to get them,” Musa said.

Musa added that increased military pressure sometimes forces terrorists to abandon their captives, creating opportunities for security forces to recover the victims.

The Defence Minister also disclosed that authorities were monitoring financial transactions linked to criminal activities, noting that ransom payments could provide useful intelligence for tracking kidnappers.

He said the Central Bank of Nigeria was involved in efforts to monitor suspicious financial movements connected to criminal networks.

Musa further advised state governors to exercise caution when distributing motorcycles as palliatives, warning that some of the vehicles could eventually find their way into the hands of terrorists and enhance their mobility.

The Defence Minister maintained that despite the difficulties posed by Nigeria’s vast forests and challenging terrain, security forces were continuing to record progress in the fight against terrorism, banditry and kidnapping.

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