The now dreadful Sambisa forest was originally
conceived as a wildlife game reserve. It was Muhammed Buba Marwa, who as military administrator of Borno, commissioned Sambisa Forest.

While commissioning the Sambisa Game Reserve, Marwa said, “Wildlife conversation in Borno state goes as far back as 1970 with the primary objectives of identifying and harnessing the numerous untapped wild flora and fauna and their natural environment to contribute to the overall socio-economic development of the state.”

Marwa also revealed that the Sambisa Game Reserve was established to promote tourism, conservation, scientific research, among others. He added that the aims were to conserve and to also perpetuate the species’ diversity and genetic potentials of nature’s flora and fauna.

He said, “It is in realisation of this fact and in line with
the present Federal Government Policy on environment and renewable resources that Borno State has decided to embark upon the development of the Game Reserve to meet the standard as a tourism centre.”

Sambisa Game Reserve has often been referred to as
one of the best endowed habitat in the Northern
Guinea/Sudan Savannah. There were 15 different large and small animal species, notably among which are; Roan Antelope, Topi, Gazelle, Warthog, Duikers, Baboons and Monkeys. It served as a dry season home-range for over 509 Elephants that are permanently situated in the southern part of Borno State.

The Reserve was also very rich in bird life, harbouring
both resident and migratory species, popular among
which are; Ostriches, Pelicans, Bustards, Secretary Birds and Hornbills.


It was in 1963 a communal forest reserve that was
owned by the native authority, and in 1974 it was
gazetted by the Northeastern region and inherited by
Borno State.

Most of the structures were built by Buba Marwa and in the 1990s the place was full of life with foreigners and Nigerians attracted to the place because of its tourism potentials.

At its peak, it had 19 chalets, kitchen, restaurant, satellite dish and borehole. These were all destroyed by the terrorists on their invasion, and they also carried away all movable valuables.

It also had five outpost stations; Kwada Base Camp,
Yuwe, Balda, Goni Kurmi (Yelteri) and Bala Njibiya, with each headed by a Chief Ranger, who had seven staff under him. The base camp, which all the staff of the outpost were answerable to had nine staff. At present all the outposts have been destroyed by the insurgents and it could be said that there is no structure on the ground.

The terrorists took control of Sambisa on February 5,
2013 when they attacked the base station and killed two rangers, forcing other staff to flee. Since then no staff or anyone without link to the terrorists has been allowed into the reserve.

Prior to their capture of the reserve, the insurgents’ stronghold was Bulabulin Ganaram within Maiduguri, but the soldiers and volunteer youth group popularly called Civilian JTF uprooted them early last year and they initially dispersed and later congregated on Sambisa, which they have made “impregnable” to the military and from where they launched most attacks.

ki02020:
PDP should be blame for the TRANSFORMATION of wildlife game reserve to a terorist heaven