Nigeria is planning to turn Boko Haram’s den, the Sambisa Forest into a tourist destination, Nigeria’s Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai announced on Wednesday.
“Nigerian Army to collaborate with National Park Service and Borno State Government to turn Sambisa forest to tourist centre to attract tourists into the country – Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai,” tweeted Bashir Ahmad, President Muhammadu Buhari’s new media aide.
The tweet was however unclear on how the military plans to attract tourists to the forest while it shelters Boko Haram. A military spokesman did not respond to requests seeking comment.
Nigeria’s President Buhari and army chief chief Buratai have repeatedly said the insurgency has been defeated with the army launching an operation to finally uproot the insurgents from the area.
The north-eastern state of Borno used to be popular with tourist with Sambisa forest being a game reserve under and after the British colonial rule. All that changed when the Boko Haram insurgency began in 2009 after police killed their leader Mohammed Yusuf.
The thick vegetation that extends hundreds of square miles has provided a haven for the militancy and helped thwart army attempts to eradicate the group.
Many of the Chibok girls that were abducted in 2014 were held in Sambisa.
In 2017, Borno state officials discussed turning Boko Haram’s founder Mohammed Yusuf’s house into a museum raising concerns that it could become a place of homage for the group’s sympathisers.
