The Borno Government has declared Dec. 22 of every year as Public Holiday to celebrate the defeat of the Boko Haram terrorists by the Nigerian military. The day will be known as Sambisa Memorial Day

Gov. Kashim Shettima disclosed this at the opening of the 2017 Small Arms Championship in Sambisa forest in Borno on Monday.

“The Borno Government will from this year begin to declare Dec. 22 as Sambisa Memorial Day.

“This day will be marked as Public Holiday in Borno for the purpose of celebrating the strength and the victory of our Armed Forces,” Shettima said.

He explained that the day would also be used for remembering victims of the Boko Haram terrorism and the families they had left behind.

He said that the day would also be used to remember members of the Nigerian Armed Forces and volunteers who lost their lives in the fight against the insurgents.

“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.

He congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and the military for chasing away the Boko Haram terrorists from their Sambisa stronghold.

“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 said that the state government was also working on plans to set up a museum to be named Sambisa to document all materials related to the military fight against the Boko Haram terrorists in 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.

Shettima said that the center would be used for the purpose of documenting all due classified information on the fight against Boko Haram.

“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. (NAN)

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