The Federal Government has concluded plans to deploy no fewer than 7,000 newly trained forest guards to seven pilot states as part of renewed efforts to curb insecurity and reclaim Nigeria’s vast ungoverned forest spaces.
The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this on Saturday in Yola, the Adamawa State capital, during the graduation ceremony of the forest guards who had undergone intensive training.
Ribadu said the guards would be deployed immediately to communities worst hit by insecurity, particularly areas around forests that have become havens for criminal elements.
“We are fully aware of Nigerians’ concerns about insecurity across the country. Accordingly, the newly trained Forest Guards will be deployed immediately to all the beleaguered communities in the highlighted states, particularly around forested and ungoverned spaces,” the NSA said.
According to Ribadu, the primary responsibility of the forest guards is to gather actionable human intelligence, support ongoing security operations, and restore government presence in areas where it has been weak or completely absent for years.
He noted that the guards are expected to work closely with existing security agencies in tackling banditry, insurgency, terrorism, and other criminal activities being perpetrated from forest hideouts across the country.
“The mandate of the Forest Guards is essentially to tackle bandits, insurgents, terrorists, and other criminal elements that are exploiting Nigeria’s vast, ungoverned forest spaces,” he stated.
Ribadu explained that the guards earned their graduation after completing an intensive three-month training programme conducted simultaneously in the seven pilot states of Adamawa, Borno, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto and Yobe.
He said the training was designed to prepare them for the harsh realities of forest operations.
“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,” he said.
The NSA recalled that the trainees were mobilised under the Presidential Forest Guards initiative, which was launched by President Bola Tinubu in May this year as a collaborative effort between the Federal Government and the states.
According to him, the programme reflects the administration’s resolve to address insecurity through proactive and intelligence-driven measures.
He added that instructors and coordinators for the training were drawn from several security and intelligence agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Park Service, and the National Intelligence Agency.
Ribadu disclosed that the current deployment marks only the pilot phase of the initiative, stressing that the Federal Government is already working towards expanding the programme nationwide.
“The pilot phase of the forest guards rollout provides a solid foundation for a nationwide deployment after more guards are accordingly recruited,” he said.
“As we speak, processes have commenced to train new batches across additional states, ensuring rapid expansion and comprehensive national coverage.”
In his remarks, the Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, charged the graduating forest guards to see their assignment as a call to national service.
He urged them to carry out their duties with professionalism and respect for civilians.
Fintiri advised the guards to treat residents of host communities with civility, noting that winning the trust of locals would be critical to the success of the initiative.
Naijaonpoint reports that the deployment of the forest guards is expected to boost security operations in forested areas that have long served as hideouts for criminal gangs across the country.