Boko Haram Relocates to Burra Forest, Bauchi

Senator Isa Hamma Misau (APC, Bauchi Central) has raised an alarm about the activities of suspected Boko Haram members dislodged from Sambisa forest to Ningi Emirate Council of his constituency.

According to the lawmaker who made the revelation yesterday with Daily Trust via a brief telephone interview, the insurgents are settling in the forest where they are orchestrating all forms of evil such as robbery, kidnapping etc.

He said the Burra forest is linked through a corridor to the Falgore Forrest in Kano state and Saminaka in Kaduna State.

“The Boko Haram insurgents are relocating to the Burra Forest. It is a very large forest extending to three states and it is from there that the terrorists are going to other places to unleash terror on people.

“It was because of their activities that a new Police division was opened in Burra but the police cannot carry out operation in the forest because it is a high risk operation.

“They kidnap people daily, and receive between N3million and N5million as ransom,” he said.

The senator said the terrorists told their victims that they relocated from the Sambisa Forest, the hotbed of the Boko Haram insurgents in Borno state.

“They also said the terrorists are in hundreds and that they coordinate their operations from the forest,” he said.

“They have collected so much money from the people but because the place is in remote area, it has not been given national prominence.

“The people are highly sophisticated, and to tackle them, we need serious surveillance, intelligence and equipment.”

He said when the Senate reconvenes next month he would sponsor a motion with a view to attracting the attention of the security agencies to it.

“I’m going to write to the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Army Staff and the Director of DSS for them to intervene. There is need for combined efforts of all security agencies in order to tackle the terrorists,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian military has reaffirmed its commitment to flushing out Boko Haram members from all their hiding places in Nigeria.