The Sultan of Sokoto and co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers, Sa’ad Abubakar, on Monday, called on the military to occupy Lake Chad region and Sambisa forest, in their bid to subdue Boko Haram.
Sultan Abuabakar said the military must occupy the Lake Chad region and Sambisa forest for Northeast to have peace.
The monarch charged the military to do away with terrorists occupying these regions.
He spoke while leading his fellow traditional rulers from the Southwest and Northern parts of the country on a condolence visit to the Borno State Governor, Babagana Zulum, following recent Boko Haram killings in the state.
The Sultan led Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemaka Alfred Ugochukwu, Oba Adekunle Adebayo, Ore of Otin, Emir of Hadeja, Dr. Adamu Abubakar Maje, Emir of Fika, Mohammed Abale Ibn Mohammed Idrissa, Amanyanabo of Opobo Kingdom, KING Dr. Dandasen Douglas Jaja on the visit.
Speaking, the Sultan, who is a retired Army General recalled how his battalion occupied Lake Chad region for six months.
He said: “I read about the comment the Governor made some few weeks ago, challenging the military to take the fight to Lake Chad to clear that place.
“Your Excellency while I was a Lieutenant, I was at Lake Chad in Baga for six months, my battalion in Bama used to rotate with the battalion in Monguno and Maiduguri every six months. We occupied lake Chad, part of Nigeria for six months.
“I was a Lieutenant, I was the operation officer and I have my maps. In Lake Chad that time we had 36 islands under Nigeria, we occupied 16 of them, the biggest was king Nasara, we controlled that part of Nigeria effectively well as a battalion.
“Now I don’t know why we can’t occupy the whole of Lake Chad and why we can’t occupy the whole of Sambisa forest. If we want peace we have to dominate these areas. If we want peace, we have to do away with those terrorists who occupy that place and see nothing good in other people except those that believe in their own negative ideas.”
