The recent abduction of school children, teachers and other Nigerians is raising questions about the role and efficiency of forest guards across the country. On May 15, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu launched the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative in response to the insecurity associated with forests in Nigeria.
The initiative was birthed in February 2024, following a meeting between the president and state governors, with a directive for states to recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 guards.
The goal was to stop the activities of bandits, kidnappers and other illegal groups hiding in the forests and mountains that are hard to reach.
This renewed focus on the activities of the guards came on the heels of the current wave of kidnapping involving over 80 schoolchildren in Borno and Oyo states, as well as six students in Zamfara State.
Speaking on the recent incident when he led a delegation to Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo, where 46 school children and members of staff were abducted, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, who noted that President Tinubu inherited longstanding security challenges, announced the deployment of additional 1,000 forest guards to salvage the situation.
On December 27, 2025, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) graduated and deployed the first batch of over 7,000 newly recruited forest guards across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states, which are the seven frontline states.
“There will be no delay between graduation and deployment. Salaries and allowances will commence immediately, and every certified guard will proceed directly to assigned duty posts.
“The forest guards are not merely individuals in uniform; they serve as first responders, community protectors and crucial elements of Nigeria’s security framework. Their role will be pivotal in ensuring safety, gathering intelligence and assisting other security agencies in reclaiming territories seized by criminals,” Ribadu told Nigerians at the graduation ceremony.
But Nigerians are questioning the whereabouts and operational efficacy of those who were already recruited and deployed after the president issued an order for more recruitment amidst worsening insecurity.
Operational structure lacks clarity
According to information from the Federal Ministry of Information website, the Nigerian Forest Guard is a national security under the strategic direction of the National Security Adviser, in close collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment. Operational coordination is managed by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Park Service.
Efforts to get an official comment from the ONSA on the current status of the initiative were not successful as the head of the Department of Strategic Communications in the National Counterterrorism Centre, Michael Abu, could not be reached. Similarly, an email sent to the official box of the DSS was yet to be replied at the time of filing this report.
But according to details from the Ministry of Information, the initiative integrates doctrines, operational strategies and strategic insights from the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The guards are supposed to be well trained, well armed and would work with other security agencies.
The guards are also required to collaborate with the Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), which is now renamed the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS), so as to utilise the knowledge of local hunters who are well acquainted with local landscapes.
It was further stated that the protocol for handling arms and using force by the guards were developed and regulated by a comprehensive manual on Arms Management. This manual, created through collective effort, was approved by all the security agencies involved.
Current situation in states
Our correspondents in various states observed that despite the deployment of the first batch, there are conflicting reports about the current activities of the guards, which are yet to create an impact.
In Borno State, the personnel of the Forest Security Service said they were trained by the Office of the National Security Adviser and are waiting to be equipped and assigned areas of responsibility.
One of the personnel of the Service, who pleaded for anonymity, said they started receiving monthly allowances from the federal government five months ago through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
“We are now waiting for directives from the Office of the NSA on when and how to start our operations,” he said.
He revealed that they were already under the supervision of the Department of State Service and all communications were coming through them, adding, “We are prepared to work diligently.”
He revealed that, initially, they were a group of 1,700 hunters working under the supervision of the Nigerian military before the Office of the NSA enlisted 200 of them.
“We were asked to quickly send the details of our men. Unfortunately, we were only able to come up with 200 names out of 1,700 hunters due to the short notice. We were only given three hours,” he said.
Asked about their mode of operation, he said, “Before this new responsibility, we operated under the military as hunters. But we are yet to receive directives since we began to work under the NSA.”
He said the military had given them 10 operational motorcycles to protect farmers as the rainy season set in.
“But now, everything depends on the next directive from the Office of the NSA,” he said.
When contacted, the zonal commander of the Forest Security Service in charge of Borno and Yobe, Alhaji Adam Bulama, confirmed that the list of personnel under him was submitted to the NSA from the two states.
He also said the FSS personnel working under him had already started receiving uniforms and boots from the federal government.
“They have started providing us with full kits, uniforms and monthly allowances. I want to believe that very soon, we will get the fighting equipment too,” he noted.
He said there were 10 sectors designed to work in different parts of Borno State under his coordination.
“We were well trained waiting for directives from the NSA’s office in Borno and Yobe states,” he added.
Asked how prepared they are to work and synergise with other security agencies, he said, “It is not a new thing to us. We are the ones protecting the farmers in vulnerable communities and farmlands.
“Many farmers can’t access their fields without our protection. We were working closely with the military, but we have to inform them anytime we decide to go on a solo operation.”
In Yobe, Bulama said his deputy was in charge; and they are working closely with him.
He said that since Borno and Yobe shared boundaries, their operations needed to be coordinated for better results.
“The Yobe commander is my deputy; we are in close contact and would work closely in this operation,” he said.
In Benue State, recruits of the National Forest Guards still undergoing training
Our correspondent reports that the State Bureau of Homeland Security, which is the sole agency saddled with the responsibility of overseeing the process of short-listing candidates for screening and recruitment into the Nigerian Forest Guards in Benue State, has been facilitating the recruitment since last year.
The special adviser to the Benue governor on internal security, Chief Joseph Har, confirmed that the successful applicants were still in training.
Har, however, directed our correspondent to the Office of the Director-General of Homeland Security for further enquiries.
The director-general of the bureau, Air Commodore (retd) Jacob Gbamwuan, who didn’t respond to calls put through his telephone, had in December last year warned the public to beware of the activities of certain individuals fraudulently collecting money from unsuspecting members of the public under the guise of enlisting them into the National Forest Guards.
“Members of the public are hereby warned to desist from giving money to anyone claiming to facilitate recruitment into the Nigerian Forest Guards. Recruitment follows an official process,’ he had said.
Gbamwuan had assured that the bureau remained committed to transparency, due process and the security of the people of Benue State.
But when contacted, the state Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change denied knowledge of the exercise.
“We are not aware of any recruitment of forest guards,” Onum, the ministry’s information officer said.
Also, the ministry’s Director of Forestry, Comrade Enewa Onjeh, said they knew nothing about the exercise, and wondered whether the federal government had indeed carried out the recruitment.
Onjeh said the ministry was very interested in the recruitment, such that it earlier wrote a letter to the federal ministry seeking to be involved in the process.
She said that to the best of her knowledge, the ministry did not get any response to the letter, stressing that they did not have any idea about the exercise or whatever stage the recruits may be undergoing.
“None of them (recruits) was brought to us. We were not involved in the process and don’t know what is going on,” she said.
She, however, added that the ministry was in dire need of the forest guards, which was why the commissioner wrote to the apex ministry.
Meanwhile, the public relations officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Benue State command, Michael Ejelikwu, confirmed that the recruits were being trained using the command’s facility.
“We are not the ones training them, but they are using our facility. That’s all I know,” Ejelikwu said.
@Daily Trust