Insecurity: FG extends forest guards initiative to 10 states
The federal government has expanded the presidential forest guards initiative to 10 states as part of efforts to tackle banditry, kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The latest phase covers Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where more than 2,000 forest guards have completed training, bringing the total number of trained personnel under the programme to over 9,000.
In a statement issued on Friday, the office of the national security adviser (ONSA) said the forest guards would be deployed to support surveillance, early warning activities and intelligence-led operations alongside conventional security agencies.
The recruits are also expected to strengthen intelligence gathering by serving as a bridge between rural communities and security agencies.
According to ONSA, many of those enlisted were drawn from communities affected by kidnapping and banditry because of their knowledge of forests, rivers, footpaths, remote settlements and routes linking neighbouring communities and states.
“The Presidential Forest Guards Initiative has been expanded to 10 states, with over 9,000 personnel trained to help secure forests and other areas used by kidnappers, bandits and armed groups,” the statement reads.
“Many of the recruits were selected from communities affected by kidnapping, banditry and related security challenges.
“They have extensive knowledge of forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and routes connecting communities and states.
“The government expects their knowledge of the terrain to improve surveillance and intelligence gathering. It is also expected to help security agencies identify routes and locations that may be difficult for personnel deployed from outside the affected communities to access.”
The ONSA said the recruits underwent screening, background checks, and security vetting to verify their identities and assess their suitability for security duties.
It noted that they received training in weapons handling, navigation, fieldcraft, patrol operations, intelligence gathering, and forest protection to prepare them for operations within an organised security structure.
The programme is coordinated by ONSA and implemented under the operational leadership of the Department of State Services (DSS), with the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Defence Headquarters (DHQ), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and the National Park Service (NPS) also participating.
The ONSA said the initiative is being implemented in partnership with participating state governments to reduce the vulnerability of forests and other ungoverned spaces frequently exploited by criminal groups.
It added that the objective is to deny kidnappers and bandits access to forest corridors often used to establish camps, hide abducted victims and move across local government areas and state boundaries.
According to the statement, the governors of Kaduna, Edo and Kogi welcomed the expansion of the initiative and pledged to support the welfare, deployment and operations of the forest guards in their respective states.
The expansion follows the first phase of the programme, under which about 7,000 forest guards were trained and deployed to Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states after completing a three-month training exercise.
President Bola Tinubu launched the presidential forest guards initiative in May 2025 as part of efforts to reclaim forests from criminal groups and strengthen security in vulnerable communities.
The programme is coordinated by ONSA in collaboration with security agencies and participating state governments.
