The Minister of Defence, Gen. Christopher Musa (retd.), has said the vast terrain occupied by terrorists is one of the major challenges confronting security agencies in their efforts to rescue abducted Nigerians and dismantle insurgent networks.
Musa said troops were conducting regular rescue operations, but noted that terrorists often retreat into large forested areas before security agencies receive information about an abduction, making tracking and interception more difficult.
The minister spoke on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday while responding to concerns over the government’s handling of insecurity.
He cited Sambisa Forest as an example of the scale of the challenge, saying the area commonly referred to as Sambisa was comparable in size to Belgium.
Musa said the size of the operational theatre was often underestimated in public discussions about the fight against terrorism.
“On a daily basis now, we are really getting, rescuing a lot of them. Like I said, we have 923 square kilometres. So this government is overwhelmed. Sambisa Forest is as big as Belgium, as a country,” he said.
He explained that terrorists exploited the terrain to evade security forces and move abducted victims from one location to another.
“These places are massive areas,” the minister said, adding that forested terrain stretching across Nigeria’s borders also provided opportunities for criminals to move between countries.
Musa said the delay between an abduction and the arrival of actionable intelligence often gave the perpetrators enough time to disappear into the forests.
“So once these abductions are done, before the information gets to anybody, these guys are already into the forest. So it takes a long time for us to follow them, to be able to trace over there,” he said.
He referred to a recent operation in Kwara State, saying security forces had to restrict the routes available to the abductors and cut off their access to supplies before they could rescue the victims.
According to him, such operations do not always require security forces to engage the terrorists directly.
The minister said terrorists sometimes abandoned their captives when they realised that security forces had effectively surrounded or isolated them.
He also disclosed that intelligence gathered through ransom payments could assist security agencies in tracing criminal networks.
Musa said the Central Bank of Nigeria was working with relevant agencies to monitor and track funds suspected to be linked to criminal activities.
The minister also advised state governments to exercise caution when distributing motorcycles as palliatives.
He warned that motorcycles provided to beneficiaries could be diverted or eventually fall into the hands of terrorists, potentially improving their ability to move through difficult terrain.
Musa’s comments on the size of Sambisa Forest, however, require distinction between the officially designated Sambisa Game Reserve and the much wider area commonly referred to as Sambisa Forest.
The Sambisa Game Reserve covers about 518 square kilometres, while estimates of the broader forested and savannah terrain associated with insurgency vary considerably, with some estimates putting it between 50,000 and 66,000 square kilometres.
Belgium, by comparison, covers approximately 30,500 to 30,700 square kilometres.
Thus, the comparison between Sambisa and Belgium generally relates to the wider area described as Sambisa Forest rather than the officially designated game reserve.
Musa maintained that the scale of the terrain underscored the complexity of military operations and the need for sustained intelligence gathering and coordinated security efforts to defeat terrorist groups.
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