The federal government has concluded plans to immediately deploy the 7,000 forest guards, who completed an intensive three-month training programme.
This information was revealed in a statement issued on Saturday by the Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Rabiu Ibrahim.
It was disclosed that the forest guards were drawn from seven frontline states comprising Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.
The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu, was quoted as saying that, “There will be no delay between graduation and deployment. Salaries and allowances will commence immediately, and every certified guard will proceed directly to assigned duty posts.”
The personnel are indigenous to their respective local government areas, enabling them to leverage terrain familiarity and community trust in countering banditry, kidnapping, and the illegal exploitation of forest resources.
The programme is under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025. It represents a coordinated Federal–State security intervention aimed at reclaiming Nigeria’s forests from criminal exploitation.
The scheme is designed to strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture by denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups sanctuary within forested and hard-to-reach terrains.
The training was deliberately intensive, structured, and demanding, designed to transform loyal and committed Nigerians into agile, disciplined, and capable field operatives. The curriculum integrated environmental conservation principles with advanced security competencies, ensuring a balanced, professional, and mission-ready force.
Trainees underwent extensive physical and mental conditioning, including endurance exercises, obstacle-crossing drills, and long-range patrol simulations to prepare them for sustained forest operations.
They were also trained in tactical fieldcraft, including movement techniques, enemy-contact drills, ambush response, rescue operations, and coordinated offensive actions—equipping them to deny criminal elements any form of sanctuary within Nigeria’s forest spaces.
Equally central to the programme was a strong emphasis on ethics, legality, and professionalism. The curriculum placed significant focus on human rights, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), gender rights, and the protection of civilians.
Arms handling and use-of-force protocols were strictly regulated in line with an Arms Management Manual jointly agreed upon by all participating agencies.
“These Forest Guards are not just uniformed personnel. They are first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture. They will hold ground, gather intelligence, and support security agencies in reclaiming territories previously overtaken by criminal elements,” Mr Ribadu added.
The training recorded a 98.2 per cent completion rate. A total of 81 trainees were disqualified on disciplinary grounds, while two trainees passed away due to pre-existing medical conditions. All successful participants have been fully certified and cleared for operational service.