In a bold move to confront the growing security threats across Nigeria’s forest regions, President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a national forest guard initiative. The scheme, designed to address the escalating challenges of terrorism, banditry, and criminal activity in forested areas, is set to be one of the most ambitious security operations in the country’s recent history.
The initiative will see the recruitment of over 130,000 armed forest guards across Nigeria. Each state is expected to engage between 2,000 and 5,000 personnel, depending on the size and security needs of their forest reserves. These guards will be fully trained and equipped to patrol and protect the nation’s 1,129 forest reserves, which have increasingly become havens for criminal groups.
Oversight for the programme will be shared between the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Federal Ministry of Environment. Their role will be to ensure that the recruitment process is transparent and that the new personnel are adequately trained and prepared for the demanding responsibilities that lie ahead.
President Tinubu, in remarks made available to the media, stressed that no part of Nigeria would be ceded to criminal elements. “We must reclaim our forests. They must not serve as a breeding ground for terrorists or kidnappers,” he said. He added that the protection of Nigeria’s natural resources and territorial integrity was a key priority of his administration.
Beyond security, the forest guard scheme is also seen as a major employment initiative, offering thousands of young Nigerians a chance to serve the country while gaining meaningful employment. By engaging local youth, the government hopes to foster a sense of community responsibility and reduce the allure of criminal enterprise in vulnerable areas.
This multi-agency initiative is expected to function as a federal-state collaboration, with state governments playing an active role in the recruitment, deployment, and coordination of guards within their jurisdictions.
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Analysts have hailed the initiative as timely and necessary, noting that the increasing use of forest terrain by terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits has posed one of the most complex challenges for Nigeria’s internal security. By introducing a specialised and dedicated security corps to monitor these areas, the federal government appears poised to disrupt criminal networks and restore public confidence in rural communities.
While the implementation timeline has yet to be officially announced, preparations for the recruitment process are reportedly underway. Stakeholders have called for the inclusion of robust accountability frameworks to ensure the effectiveness of the scheme and prevent abuses.
President Tinubu’s approval of the forest guard corps marks a significant shift in Nigeria’s security architecture, one that signals a more decentralised and targeted approach to dealing with insecurity. If properly executed, the forest guard initiative could serve as a model for addressing other security challenges facing the country.
