Chidi Samuel with agency report || President Muhammadu Buhari, Commander-In-Chief of the Nigerian Armed Forces, will not attend the 2017 Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship holding in the Sambisa forest on Monday contrary to earlier reports that the President will attend the event.
The President would be represented at the opening of the event by the Minister of Defense, Alhaji Mannir Dan-Ali.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen.Tukur Buratai, made the disclosure while speaking with newsmen on the final arrangements for the event on Saturday in Maiduguri.
He said, “We have been in the North East, fighting the Boko Haram terrorists, and you know the significance of the Sambisa forest to them.
“It used to be one of their centers; in fact, we suspect that their command and control center was located there before its eventual capture.”
He added that following the eventual capture of camp zairo, the Army wanted to consolidate its operations by ensuring that the place was secured.
“We also want the place to be dominated by our troops and also to get firm control, so that we will continue to dominate the area’’.
The COAS said that the championship was part of the training activities of the Nigerian Army, aimed at sharpening marksmanship of its personal.
“The Nigerian Army Small Arms Championship is part of the training activities scheduled for 2017.
“It is a championship among the formations of the Nigerian Army.
“The objective of the event is to sharpen the marksmanship skills of the army personnel’’.