In a bold and sweeping security move, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially approved the establishment of a new security outfit dubbed the Forest Guards of Nigeria, with the mandate to take charge of Nigeria’s 1,129 forests and curb the rising influence of terrorists, bandits, and criminal gangs using forested areas as hideouts.
🛡️ New Security Force: Mission and Structure
The announcement was made public on Wednesday via a post on X by Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communication. In his message, he confirmed that the President had directed the immediate recruitment of personnel into the forest guard corps, and ordered the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) to supervise the full implementation of the plan.
Key elements of the plan include:
The new guards will be well-trained and armed to execute their core mission: flushing out terrorists and other criminals lurking in forest reserves.
Recruitment is envisioned as a collaborative security effort involving federal and state governments working together.
The NSA and the Ministry of Environment are tasked with overseeing and ensuring smooth, full-scale execution of the initiative.
Thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed in this newly formed security outfit.
As President Tinubu had previously warned, his administration would "not surrender an inch of the country’s territory" to criminal elements, particularly in forested frontiers. He vowed that Nigeria will “take back its forests.”
🌲 Why This Matters: Forests & Insecurity
Nigeria’s forest reserves have long been under siege, serving as hideouts and operational bases for terrorists, bandits, and criminal networks. According to media reports, a number of these forests are already effectively under control of those groups, particularly in the north as well as parts of the southwest.
In some cases, forest reserves like Sambisa, Kamuku, Kainji, Old Oyo, Rugu, and Birnin Gwari have become known as de facto strongholds for militants and bandits who exploit weak enforcement and challenging terrain to evade detection.
It is also relevant to note that an existing forest-focused security organization — the Nigerian Hunter & Forest Security Service (NHFSS), now rebranded as the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) — has over time taken on expanded security duties beyond environmental protection, especially in forested and rural zones plagued by violence. This new development appears to be a substantial upgrade in scale, authority, and formal state backing.
⚠️ Emerging Risks: A Harsh Reminder
However, the challenge of forest security is already proving deadly. In a recent, grim incident just days ago, 12 forest guards were killed in an ambush by unidentified gunmen in Oke-Ode, Kwara State. The attack underscores how high the stakes are for forest security workers.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killings while urging calm. He also commended the bravery of forest guards and local hunters who reportedly fought back.
This fatal attack underlines the inherent risks in deploying security forces into remote, hostile terrain. It will demand not just recruitment, but also strategic planning, intelligence support, logistics, coordination with other security agencies, and sustained political will.
🔍 Key Questions & Challenges Ahead
While the announcement is bold and timely, the devil lies in the details. Here are critical questions and challenges that will shape the success or failure of this initiative:
1. Integration vs. duplication
There is already the NFSS / NHFSS that operates in forested zones with some security functions. Will the new Forest Guards overlap, merge, or subsume existing bodies? How will roles and responsibilities be delineated?
2. Training, equipment, and capacity
Forest terrain is unforgiving. Recruitment must be paired with rigorous training in jungle warfare, navigation, surveillance, and counterinsurgency tactics. Proper arms, vehicles, drones, communication tools, medical support, and sustained funding will be necessary.
3. Coordination with security architecture
Success hinges on integrating forest guards with the military, police, state-level agencies, and intelligence services. Seamless information sharing and command relationships will be essential.
4. Political and state buy-in
Since state governments are part of the recruitment and operational model, buy-in from governors and local authorities is critical. Some states may resist ceding control or resources.
5. Monitoring, accountability & human rights
Since this security force will operate in remote zones, oversight is important to prevent abuse, extra-judicial acts, and violations of rights. Internal control mechanisms, external oversight, and community engagements will be key.
6. Sustainability & cost
Maintaining thousands of guard personnel over many years demands sustained budget allocation, logistics, operations, welfare, and rotation. The government must ensure that this is not a short-term showpiece but a long-term security infrastructure.
🛠️ What This Means for Nigeria & the Public
Job creation: The recruitment drive promises employment opportunities, especially for youth in rural, forested, and border communities.
Enhanced territorial control: If well executed, the new forest guards can help dismantle terrorists’ safe havens and reduce impunity in forest belts.
Boost to environmental protection: Beyond security, better forest monitoring can stem illegal logging, wildlife trafficking, encroachment, and land degradation.
Raising the bar on accountability: This move will test whether the federal government can sustain, supervise, and deliver a highly decentralized security model in challenging terrain.
President Tinubu’s authorization of the Forest Guards of Nigeria marks a major turning point in how Nigeria intends to tackle insecurity in its forested regions. The coming weeks and months will be decisive: the speed of recruitment, clarity of mandate, resource allocation, state cooperation, and integration with existing security systems will determine whether this bold idea becomes a new pillar in Nigeria’s security architecture — or another announcement that fades into the background.
As this initiative unfolds, I will continue to monitor developments, including state-level reaction, recruitment announcements, operations, challenges, and outcomes.
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