By Jane Okafor, Abuja
President Bols Ahmed Tinubu has approved the establishment and deployment of a new unit of forest guards to Nigeria’s unmanned vast forest lands and reclaim them from criminal elements.
The move, announced on Wednesday by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Mr. Sunday Dare, seeks to root out terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and criminal gangs who have turned the nation’s 1,129 forests into safe havens.
Dare in his verified X handle, @SundayDareSD, stated that the recruitment drive will be carried out through a coordinated effort between the federal and state governments, with oversight provided by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Ministry of Environment.
The President directed that the new forest guards be professionally trained and properly armed to meet the security challenges within the country’s forests, many of which have been exploited by kidnappers, bandits, and insurgents in recent years.
Tinubu reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to securing every inch of Nigerian territory, declaring that no part of the country would be abandoned to lawlessness.
“To secure the country’s forests, President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards to secure Nigeria’s 1,129 forests.
“In a statement posted on X by Special Adviser Sunday Dare, the President directed that the forest guards be well trained and armed to flush out terrorists and criminal gangs hiding in the forests.
“The recruitment is a joint effort between federal and state governments.
“The Office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Environment will oversee full implementation.
“Thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed for the initiative.
“President Tinubu reiterated that his administration will not surrender any part of Nigeria’s territory to criminals, vowing to take back the forests,” the statement reads
This latest security initiative is part of the Tinubu administration’s broader strategy to address the root causes of insecurity while simultaneously providing employment opportunities for the country’s teeming youth population.
The recruitment process is expected to begin soon, with details on application and training to be jointly released by the supervising agencies.
The initiative is also seen as a way of complementing existing security operations and environmental protection strategies.
As security agencies ramp up efforts to regain control over ungoverned spaces, the forest guard program adds a critical layer of localized security—one that experts hope will help reduce the operational reach of criminal networks and restore public confidence in rural and peri-urban areas.
