Several states across Nigeria have intensified the recruitment and deployment of forest guards as part of efforts to tackle banditry, kidnapping and criminal activities in forested communities. The renewed push follows President Bola Tinubu’s approval of the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards after recent attacks linked to suspected bandits in parts of the country.
Kebbi, Gombe, Kwara and Kaduna are among the states leading implementation. Kebbi has deployed 819 trained operatives, while Gombe has begun training about 700 recruits. Kwara says it has recruited and deployed about 3,300 forest guards, while Kaduna recently commenced training for 1,000 recruits drawn largely from security-challenged communities.
Other states, including Kano, Edo, Imo, Bayelsa and Anambra, have also strengthened forest security efforts. Kano has recruited 150 forest guards, Edo has begun preparations for training, while Imo, Bayelsa and Anambra have integrated forest security personnel into broader community policing and surveillance programmes.
In contrast, some states are yet to begin recruitment. Zamfara said it is awaiting further directives from the Federal Government despite expressing readiness to participate, while Rivers, Abia and Lagos have also not commenced implementation.
Some states have opted for alternative security structures. Ondo State said it does not require federal forest guards because its Amotekun Corps and Amotekun Rangers already patrol forests and rural communities. Osun State, meanwhile, disclosed that plans were underway to recruit forest guards as part of a new security outfit that will also include hunters and other local security groups.
Security experts have urged caution regarding the role of the operatives. Retired Colonel Ahmed Usman, Special Adviser on Security to the Sokoto State Governor, warned that forest guards should focus on surveillance, intelligence gathering and forest protection rather than frontline combat operations, which should remain the responsibility of conventional security agencies.
President Tinubu on Sunday reiterated his administration’s commitment to combating insecurity, insisting that Nigeria would not surrender to terrorists, bandits or kidnappers. He said security agencies were being provided with the resources needed to protect communities, while the forest guard initiative forms part of broader efforts to secure vulnerable areas and curb criminal activities across the country.
