konknaijaboy | On 26, May 2014

We no doubt had heard about this forest named Sambisa which has now become one of the most popular forests in the world.

We are tailking about a forest that is as big as Lagos State, Ogun State and Oyo State combined we think. Now i sat in the corner of my bedroom and asked myself; how can we penetrate a forest as large as this and also infested possibly with booby traps or landmines of all forms. Believe it or not; that will be a very dangerous forest to wonder about in.

Sambisa Forest and Sambisa Forest Reserve are located in Nigeria. It was a game reserve in colonial times. It covers an area of approximately 60,000 square kilometers in Nigeria’s northeast, in the states of Borno, Yobe, Gombe, and Bauchi, along the Darazo corridor, Jigawa, up to some parts of Kano State in the far north.

In 1991, the then Borno State government incorporated it into the Chad Basin National Park with a total area of about 2,258 square kilometres. This Chad Basin National Park also included the Hadejia-Nguru wetlands in modern day Yobe State.

At the time, the Sambisa Game Reserve had leopards, lions, elephants, hyenas and huts built for tourists to stay in. However, the federal/state government allowed the place to fall into a state of disrepair as the animals died, the roofs leaked, weeds covered the roads, water stopped flowing, there was no power and the whole reserve became another derelict white elephant

It is widely suspected that the Sambisa forest has since become a haven for alleged terrorist group Boko Haram

Information from the area suggests that Boko Haram fighters can be seen in the game reserve relaxing and training. Their women carry out the usual chores like cooking, laundry, etc in the area and the place is like any normal Nigerian community.

As of 2014 it is considered a refuge of the Boko Haram terrorist group. It has been speculated that the victims of the 2014 Chibok kidnapping were taken into this forest by Boko Haram members.

Read More HERE