President Bola Tinubu has approved the creation of a national forest guard programme to help tackle terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping across Nigeria’s 1,129 forests. The initiative, managed jointly by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Environment, aims to flush out criminal elements who use forests as hideouts. It will involve the recruitment, training, and arming of thousands of young Nigerians.
Security experts have reacted differently. Former DSS Director Dennis Amachree believes elite hostage rescue units might be more effective, while Dr. Wilson Esangbedo says well-trained and properly equipped forest guards could make a real difference in fighting insecurity.
Several states have already begun similar efforts. Ebonyi State has recruited 2,600 youths under the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), and Anambra State is training forest guards under its “Udo Ga Achi” operation. The NHFSS, now renamed the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), was founded in 2021 to protect forests and tackle crimes like kidnapping and illegal logging. A bill is under consideration to formally incorporate traditional hunters into the service.
The success of this new initiative will depend on proper execution, funding, and coordination with other security agencies.
