BREAKING: Borno declares December 22 ‘Sambisa Memorial Day’
December 22 of every year has been declared a Public Holiday by the Borno state Government to celebrate the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the Nigerian military.
Borno state has declared December 22 ‘Sambisa Memorial Day’ to commemorate the fall of the terrorists who held the place in captive
The holiday will be known as Sambisa Memorial Day.
While explaining the reasons behind the declaration, Governor Kashim Shettima said: “This day will be marked as Public Holiday in Borno for the purpose of celebrating the strength and the victory of our Armed Forces.”
NAIJ.com gathered that the day would be used for remembering members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and volunteers who lost their lives in the fight against the insurgents and also victims of the Boko Haram terrorism and the families they had left behind.
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“The Borno Government will do everything possible to ensure that the patriotism of our heroes is supremely preserved and not taken for granted,” the governor said.
The governor also seized the opportunity to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for making the forest a safe place.
“Based on Buhari’s announcement, the Sambisa forest became deceased or dead at about 1.35 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2016.
“Three months after its demise, today marks the official funeral of the Sambisa Forest. I am proud to have witnessed this funeral and I congratulate all of us for being witnesses to the triumph of good over evil,” he said.
Shettima also said that in efforts to document the military fight against the dreaded terrorists, the state government was also working on plans to set up a museum to be named Sambisa.
“The fall of Sambisa is both symbolic and memorable and that is why as a government, we are taking steps to preserve the history behind the fall of Sambisa. And to spectacularly document the roles played by everyone from the Commander-in-Chief, our service commanders and soldiers.
“Very soon, the state government will respectively request for partnership with the Federal Ministry of Defence and the Federal Ministry of Information to construct a museum that will be named Sambisa Fall and International Research Centre,” he said.
Going further, he said: “The centre will also help to preserve valuable materials recovered by the military in relation to the fight against Boko Haram terrorists and to document history of the crisis from the days of Taliban to the Boko Haram terrorism.
“Importantly, our aim is to document responses by successive political and military leadership and the eventual fall of Sambisa forest under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
“We hope that such a museum will become a global custodian of information and valuable materials on issues relating to the Boko Haram and the role played by the Nigerian military and the multi-national forces.
“We will propose that the museum should have a hall of fame for fallen heroes which will bear names and pictures of notable officers and men of the Nigerian Armed Forces.
“Also, the hall of fame will bear the names of the paramilitary, the Civilian JTF and the hunters who paid supreme price in helping to free us from Boko Haram terrorists,” the governor said.
Meanwhile, in this video by Naij.com survivors of Boko Haram speak on their experience.