By Levinus Nwabughiogu

ABUJA-Nigerian Governors and other political leaders in the country have congratulated president Muhammadu Buhari on the fall of dreaded Sambisa forest which had been the operation center of the Boko Haram insurgents.

It will be recalled that in what appeared like the final onslaught against the terrorists, the Nigerian military on Thursday made a gallant entry into the forest, dislodged the insurgents and took over the place.

A statement by the presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu last night stated tha leaders across the country’s political divides “have been calling President Muhammadu Buhari, to congratulate him and the leadership of the armed forces following the takeover of the Sambisa Forest from the Boko Haram terrorists.”

The statement explained that “the latest series of calls received by the President, the Governors of Jigawa, Kano, Yobe, Adamawa, Borno, Katsina, Kaduna and Sokoto have joined some of their colleagues from South-East, South-South, South-West and North Central states who made earlier calls to commend the President on the achievement of this feat which, they said, “has pleased the Nigerian people and is also being celebrated all over the world.”

The Governors assured President Buhari that the whole country was behind him in his efforts to secure the country and make it safe for, as they said, “there cannot be any meaningful development without security.”

The Governors also paid tributes to the brave officers and soldiers who made supreme sacrifices in the liberation of the Sambisa Forest and hoped that their services will never be forgotten.

They urged the President to mobilize all resources, both human and material, to “sustain the gains made so far in the fight against terrorism and economic sabotage, adding that the attainments of the armed forces under his leadership was something that was never in doubt at the time of his election in 2015.”

The statement added that “Governors called on the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the rich countries of Asia, the Mideast and international aid and donor agencies, to raise their support to Nigeria in order to quicken the pace of the resettlement and rehabilitation of the millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in camps across the country.”