Several state governments across Nigeria have accelerated the recruitment and deployment of forest guards as part of efforts to tackle worsening insecurity, particularly banditry, kidnapping and other criminal activities linked to forest hideouts.
The renewed focus on forest security follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the recruitment of 1,000 additional forest guards after recent attacks and abductions in parts of Oyo and Kwara states. The Federal Government says the initiative is aimed at denying criminal groups access to forests and other ungoverned spaces often used as operational bases.
Kebbi State has deployed 819 newly trained forest guards after a nine-week training programme, while Gombe State has screened about 700 recruits currently undergoing specialised training in surveillance and intelligence gathering. Kwara State has also expanded its forest security network, with more than 3,300 operatives reportedly recruited under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative.
In Kaduna, 1,000 recruits have commenced training to support security agencies with intelligence gathering and forest monitoring. Edo State has also announced plans to train newly recruited personnel, while Osun State is finalising arrangements to establish a special security outfit that will include forest guards, hunters and other local security groups.
Other states, including Katsina, Kano and Ekiti, have either deployed forest guards or integrated them into existing security frameworks to strengthen surveillance and protect communities from attacks.
However, some stakeholders have cautioned that forest guards should complement, rather than replace, conventional security agencies. Security experts argue that while the initiative could improve intelligence gathering and local surveillance, high-risk combat operations should remain the responsibility of the military, police and other specialised security institutions.
The forest guard programme is part of broader efforts by the Federal Government and state authorities to reclaim forests from criminal elements and improve security across rural communities where attacks have become increasingly frequent.
