President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment of a new security outfit known as the Forest Guard of Nigeria. This was disclosed on Wednesday by Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communications, through a statement posted on his official X account.
According to the announcement, the forest guards will be deployed to secure 1,129 forests across the country to combat terrorists and bandits. The President directed the National Security Adviser to oversee the full implementation, beginning with the recruitment of personnel.
The statement read, “President Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards and commencement of their employment to secure the 1,129 forests in the country. The President directed that the forest guards are to be well trained and armed to perform their duties, which is essentially to flush out terrorists and criminal gangs hiding inside the forests for criminal activities. This recruitment is a security collaborative effort between the federal and state governments. The office of the NSA and the Ministry of Environment have been directed to take charge and ensure full implementation. Thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed as personnel of the outfit.”
The President, in his directive, reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to fighting insecurity. “President Tinubu had warned terrorists that his administration would not surrender an inch of the country’s territory to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs operating inside the forests. President Tinubu vowed that the country would take back its forests,” the statement added.
This development comes after earlier calls for such a move. Back in 2024, the Deputy Commander-General of the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service, Johnny Metchie, urged the Federal Government to transform the service into a National Security Service under the name Nigeria Forest Guard Services. He argued that such a transformation would provide a strategic solution to the rising cases of kidnapping, banditry, and crimes committed in forests and ungoverned areas.
Following the federal announcement, several states have already commenced recruitment of personnel. On Thursday, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq approved the recruitment of 2,600 forest guards as part of measures to strengthen security in Kwara North and South. The governor explained that the initiative is aimed at ensuring peace and protecting communities where banditry and kidnappings have been a major concern.
