The Federal Government of Nigeria has expanded the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative to 10 states and trained more than 9,000 personnel to strengthen security in forests and other ungoverned spaces used by kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups.
The statement from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Friday said that the programme was coordinated by ONSA and implemented under the operational leadership of the Department of State Services.
It explained that the other participating agencies include the National Intelligence Agency, Defence Headquarters, Nigeria Police Force and the National Park Service.
According to the statement, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with participating state governments to reduce the vulnerability of forests, border communities and other ungoverned spaces exploited by criminal elements.
It said that the latest phase covered Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where more than 2,000 forest guards had completed their training and were set for deployment to identified security flashpoints.
The statement added that the development followed the earlier training and graduation of more than 7,000 forest guards in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.
According to the ONSA, many of the recruits were drawn from communities affected by kidnapping, banditry and related security challenges because of their familiarity with the forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and inter-state routes.
It stated that their local knowledge would enhance surveillance, intelligence gathering and access to the difficult terrains that conventional security personnel might find challenging to navigate.
The statement also said that the recruits underwent screening, background checks and security vetting before selection to verify their identities, community records and suitability for security responsibilities.
It added that they were subsequently trained in weapons handling, navigation, field craft, patrol operations, intelligence gathering and forest protection to prepare them for structured security operations.
“The initiative is designed to restrict the movement of criminal groups through poorly monitored forest corridors often used to establish camps, conceal abducted victims and move across communities and state boundaries,” the statement said.
The statement disclosed that the personnel would be deployed to forests, remote settlements, border communities and other vulnerable locations to support surveillance, intelligence-led operations and crime prevention and that the governors of Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states commended the Office of the National Security Adviser for coordinating the initiative, describing it as a strategic intervention to complement existing security arrangements.
“The governors also pledged to support the welfare, deployment and operations of the forest guards in their respective states,” the statement said, adding that the broader objective of the initiative is to restore government presence in vulnerable areas, protect rural communities and deny criminal groups safe havens in Nigeria’s forests.
GIK/APA