The Federal Government has announced readiness to deploy 7,000 forest guards across seven pilot states as part of efforts to address insecurity linked to ungoverned forest areas.
The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, disclosed this on Saturday in Yola, Adamawa State, during the graduation ceremony of the newly trained forest guards.
“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 guards will gather human intelligence, support existing security operations, and help restore government presence in areas where it has been limited.
“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 guards completed a three-month training programme in the seven pilot states of Adamawa, Borno, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Yobe before their graduation.
Ribadu said the guards were recruited under the Presidential Forest Guards initiative, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May as a partnership between the federal and state governments.
Training was coordinated by personnel from the Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the National Park Service, and the National Intelligence Agency (NIA).
The core responsibility of the forest guards is to tackle banditry, insurgents, terrorists, and other criminal groups operating in forested areas.
According to Ribadu, the pilot phase of the 7,000 forest guards deployment is expected to lead to a nationwide rollout as more recruits are trained.
“As we speak, processes have commenced to train new batches across additional states, ensuring rapid expansion and comprehensive national coverage,” the NSA further disclosed.
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