The Federal Government has expanded the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative to 10 states, with more than 9,000 personnel now trained to help secure forests and other ungoverned spaces used by kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups.
The Office of the National Security Adviser disclosed this in a statement on Friday, saying the latest phase of the programme covers Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where over 2,000 forest guards have completed training and are set to be deployed to identified security flashpoints.
The initiative is coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser and implemented under the operational leadership of the Department of State Services, with support from the National Intelligence Agency, Defence Headquarters, the Nigeria Police Force and the National Park Service.
According to the statement, the programme is being implemented in partnership with participating state governments to improve security in forests, border communities and other ungoverned spaces exploited by criminal elements.
The latest deployment follows the earlier training and graduation of more than 7,000 forest guards in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.
The ONSA said many of the recruits were drawn from communities heavily affected by kidnapping, banditry and other security threats because of their familiarity with forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and routes linking communities and states.
“The Presidential Forest Guards Initiative has been expanded to 10 states, with over 9,000 personnel trained to help secure forests and other areas used by kidnappers, bandits and armed groups.
“Many of the recruits were selected from communities affected by kidnapping, banditry and related security challenges. They have extensive knowledge of forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and routes connecting communities and states.
“The government expects their knowledge of the terrain to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering. It is also expected to help security agencies identify routes and locations that may be difficult for personnel deployed from outside the affected communities to access,” the statement read.
It added that all recruits underwent screening, background checks and security vetting before selection to confirm their identities, community records and suitability for security duties
According to the statement, the personnel received training in arms handling, navigation, field craft, patrol operations, intelligence gathering and forest protection.
“The training was designed to combine their knowledge of the environment with the discipline and operational skills required to work within an organised security structure,” it stated.
The government said the initiative was designed to restrict the movement of criminal groups through poorly monitored forest corridors often used to establish camps, hide abducted victims and move across communities and state boundaries.
“The forest guards are also expected to strengthen intelligence sharing between rural communities and conventional security agencies. They will serve as a link between affected communities and security institutions,” the statement added.
