• Point out areas of concerns
By Cosmas Omegoh (Lagos), Ighomuaye Lucky (Benin), Noah Ebije (Kaduna), Scholastica Hir (Makurdi), Okey Sampson (Umuahia), Jude Chinedu (Enugu)
Apparently overwhelmed by incessant attacks and killing of citizens by the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, who use the forests as their hiding place, the Federal Government announced the recruitment of forest guards to help the security agencies to curb the menace.
Consequently, a cross section of stakeholders has been examining the Federal Government’s resolve.
Indeed, some security experts and concerned individuals across the country have weighed in on the idea, expressing both support and concerns.
The conversations are centred on the propriety or otherwise of the proposed outfit, with some arguing that when the forest guards come on stream, it might amount to duplication of functions between the corps and the NCSDC – and even the police.
Equally concerning is the equipment that might be available to the forest guard personnel, funding and their general operation.
The Federal Government had maintained that the proposed establishment of the forest guards represents a direct response to unprecedented escalation of insecurity in the country in recent times.
Indeed, there has been a recent spike in cases of kidnapping for ransom, attacks by Fulani herders and other forms of criminality in many ungoverned spaces in the country.
This was what prompted the Federal Government resolve to recruit about 130,000 armed operatives to secure the country’s 1,129 forest reserves.
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Public Communication, Sunday Dare made the revelation in a statement on his X handle, entitled: “Forest Guards Established by Federal Government.”
Dare said: “President Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards and commencement of their employment to secure the 1,129 forests in the country.
“The President directed that the forest guards are to be well-trained and armed to perform their duties, which is essentially to flush out terrorists and criminal gangs hiding inside the forests for criminal activities.
“This recruitment is a security collaborative effort between the federal and state governments. The Office of the NSA and the Ministry of Environment have been directed to take charge and ensure full implementation.”
Initiative generates divided opinions
A former member of the Abia State House of Assembly, Hon. Obinna Ichita has described the national forest guards initiative to curb escalating insecurity in the land as laudable.
Ichita, a vocal lawmaker, who once represented Aba South State constituency, is of the view that it signals Tinubu’s interest in addressing the challenges and complaints against insecurity in the country.
He lamented over the recent gruesome killing of one of his staff by kidnappers along Owerri-Aba highway, saying that he believes that the coming of forest guards will help curb and restore security in local communities and prevent further loss of lives.
The guards, he noted, would help flush out criminal elements and their local collaborators who hide in the forests to harm innocent people.
Recounting his trauma, he said: “The body of Mr Chibuzor Nkoro, an indigene of Eziama, in Aba North LGA of Abia State, who until his death, was one of my staff members, is still in a mortuary in Aba, Abia State.
“Chibuzor was shot dead along Ngor Okpala in Imo State on Tuesday May 6, 2025 while driving back to Aba. Those who killed Chibuzor also abducted one of my family members and demanded ransom.
“This violent attack was not an isolated incident. In fact, in one instance, one of the kidnapped victims paid a ransom of N1 billion.
“By approving the establishment of armed forest guards, the president has further demonstrated a genuine interest in swiftly addressing our challenges and complaints in the Southeast and elsewhere.”
A retired naval officer and Chairman of the Main Independence Neighbourhood Watch in Enugu, Chief Kenneth Agu, while welcoming the initiative, called for both caution and structural security reforms.
He said: “The Federal Government should try and strengthen the already existing security organs. The establishment and empowerment of neighbourhood watches and forest guards should also be considered as they are the first responders to any security threat in the community.”
However, some other stakeholders, who spoke to described the initiative as ill-conceived, diversionary, and lacking the structural support needed for meaningful impact.
Secretary General of the Alaigbo Development Foundation (ADF), Chief Abia Onyike, for instance, dismissed the initiative, saying there was no need for a new security outfit in Nigeria.
He said: “There is actually no need to establish any new security outfit to combat terrorism in Nigeria. What is required now is a pan-Nigerian indoctrination devoid of separatism and religious extremism.
“Added to this is a radical home-grown economic policy to drastically wipe out mass poverty. Without this, there is no amount of duplication of security agencies that can resolve the ongoing armed insurgency mounted by terrorists and bandits in Nigeria.
“If the government is serious about combating terrorism, it should go to the root of the problem. It should confront the hidden and open conquest agenda of extremists who deploy murderous herdsmen to kill and ravage the Middle Belt and some southern states of Nigeria.”
Onyike also criticised the forest guards initiative as poorly conceived.
“Forest guards cannot be effective without a coordinated national policy against the invasion of communities by terrorists masquerading as herdsmen. The forest guards are not sufficiently armed to combat the invaders and marauders,” added.
Similarly, University of Nigeria, Nsukka Professor Emeritus, Obasi Igwe, dismissed the idea as another layer of deception.
“There was no need for the NSCDC in the first place, and no need for adding another ‘security’ outfit. Nigeria already has the Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, DSS, NIA, and a National Security Adviser.
“If the commands issued by the Commander-in-Chief to these allegedly colluding organisations cannot secure Nigeria, what new commands will change anything,” he queried.
Prof. Igwe accused Nigeria’s leadership of collusion and complicity.
He said: “Nigerians are being deceived, misled, short-changed, and humiliated by their governments. Forest guards, new guards under whose command? The same commanders allegedly colluding with the terrorists?
“Will these guards arrest and disarm the Fulani terrorists occupying indigenous lands? Will they stop killing Igbo youths over flimsy allegations while ignoring real terrorists?
“The new security outfits since mid-2015 are dishonest, deceitful, and diversionary, an admission of irredeemable betrayal and failure.”
Forest guards in states
Part of the concerns being expressed right now is how the Federal Government’s proposed forest guard will work in some states that already have similar outfits in place.
It was learnt that some states do not have forest guards working in close collaboration with security agencies.
Anambra State, for instance, has Agunechemba, the same with others.
Abia State does not have a similar agency, it was learnt. Rather, it is strengthening its own Operation Crush to deal with the state’s security challenges.
In Edo State, for instance, the state government had earlier employed and trained forest guards to protect its forest reserves.
Sunday Sun gathered that the guards are tasked with preventing illegal activities and ensuring the preservation of the state’s 49 forest reserves.
The Edo State Forestry Commission was even given specific directives to guard and block any illegal activity in the forest.
Earlier, the state had been working to improve forest security through documentation and audits of forests, especially in Edo South.
Even now, the Edo State government, it was learnt, is recruiting forest guards to boost security across the state.
However, speaking on the proposed move, Chairman, Edo State Forestry Commission, Valentine Asue, described it as a welcome development as it would help secure the forests.
He revealed that the state was hit by acute manpower required to cover its forests.
Benue State too is one of the states in the country gasping for breath from insecurity arising from the activities of bandits and armed herdsmen.
To many residents of the state, anything that would enable peace to return to the troubled state is welcomed.
While the Federal Government is showing interest in deploying forest guards as part of the nation’s security architecture, Benue State already has the Civil Protection Guards (CPG) working with conventional security agencies to ensure the security of lives and property.
The Special Adviser to the Benue State Governor on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Joseph Har, who noted that Benue State has CPG and not forest guards, said part of its job is to prevent deforestation, bush burning, among others.
Sunday Sun learnt that Kaduna State government does not have forest guards, but a neighbourhood watch group known as Kaduna State Vigilance Service (KADVS).
It was gathered that KADVS which is made up of community volunteers plays a critical role in neighborhood security, intelligence gathering, and crime prevention.
Former Secretary General of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), Mr Anthony Sani, said that the Federal Government forest guard idea in the state is a welcome development.
However, he feared that “multiplication of security agencies may not be the best managerial practices.
“I am not a fan of undue multiplication of efforts centred between the federal and state governments. To me, such an arrangement is a clear manifestation of managerial imperfections. But since they insist on having the arrangement, they should be prepared to overcome the challenges posed by such security architecture.
“If the forest guards were successful in the performance of their mandate, there would be no need for President Bola Tinubu to rejig the forest guards. But then, their feckless performance cannot be divorced from general negative attributes of Nigeria which have permeated all fabric of the society that have brought us to where we are today.”
Need to equip new outfit
Falling back on experience, Edo State Forestry Commission boss, Asue, is of the view that the said forest guard idea needs modern day technology and equipment to safeguard the forests because, according to him, “doing so is a big task.”
He noted that failure to properly support the corps with the right tools might work contrary to its set objectives.
While lauding the Federal Government for the initiative, Mr Lucky Isibor, a resident of Edo State, wondered if it had the political will and resources to effectively protect the country’s vast forests and farmlands.
He believes that establishing the Federal Government version of the forest guards would not be a duplication.
Rather, he said it would help to beef up the nation’s security, recalling that, at the moment, farmers are afraid to go to their farms, but with the presence of the forest guards, security for the farmers would be guaranteed to some extent.
Sani equally feared that if the forest guards were not well equipped and well-motivated, the fate of the police might equally befall them.
“Operational handicaps may arise from conflict and administrative dissonance. If the Federal Government is unable to provide enough trained police personnel who are well equipped and well-motivated to secure the nation, one wonders if the fate of the forest guards would not be the same as that of the police.
“It has been the position of many of us that many areas not covered by security personnel have given non-state actors the opportunity to dominate and thrive. Now that the Federal Government has plans for recruitment of forest guards, it knows about the shortage of trained and equipped security personnel to secure the nation.
“And in doing so, the government should ensure the present security personnel architecture be organised for performance. For example, there is no harm in improving the number and quality of NSCDC for effect instead of multiplying the number of security agencies.”
He too warned that the quality of the personnel was key to ensuring their success.
Listen to him: “The hue and cry about inadequate number of security personnel is not important, but their quality, training, equipment and motivation.”
A retired naval officer and chairman of the Main Independence Neighbourhood Watch in Enugu, Chief Kenneth Agu also emphasised the importance of technology and coordination in the success of the proposed security agency.
“There must be synergy between the security forces. Sharing of intelligence and information is essential.
“The government should provide drones, metal and motion sensors, night vision cameras, thermal sensors – these should be deployed to volatile areas where there are security risks,” Agu stated.
He was frank about the present condition of forest guards in some states, lamenting that: “They are not effective in discharging their duties because of lack of security equipment, gadgets and training. Poor salaries, poor allowances – no life insurance, lack of patrol vehicles – all these undermine their efficiency.”
Will forest guards clash with state agencies?
Benue State governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia’s Special Adviser on Security and Internal Affairs, Chief Har believes that the birthing of forest guards would not amount to duplication of functions or agencies because one group may not be enough.
He noted that collaboration between the forest guards, the agro rangers and the CPG, would be encouraged so that the forests could be better policed.
He maintained that the bravery and fighting spirit of the Benue people was still intact, recalling, however, that during the war, they had weapons provided by the Federal Government and their bravery to achieve what they achieved.
“Now they are not having those weapons again, while bandits have sophisticated weapons. If you challenge how the Benue people are not able to fight now, you are also challenging how the famous Nigerian Army cannot fight insecurity also.
“So, it’s not a Benue question. Take the case of Boko Haram; why is the Nigerian Army not able to counter and suppress them? And if they have not been able to do that, how do you expect an ordinary tribe like the Tiv nation, the Idoma nation or the Agatu people to face a monster that the Federal Government is yet to subdue?”
He emphasised that the Benue State government had established the CPG now working in synergy with the conventional security agencies to secure the state.
“In the words of my principal, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia, we don’t talk security, we do security,” he said, noting that “asking about my strategy is like telling you and selling out my weapon and position.”
However, foreign affairs analyst, Rt. Rev. Peters Ichull insisted that the Federal Government’s proposal to deploy forest guards raises several questions and concerns.
He stated that with states already establishing their own forest guards and security outfits, the Federal Government’s plan might lead to duplication of efforts, confusion, and potential conflicts between different security agencies.
He said that the success of the proposed forest guards would depend on careful planning, coordination, and community engagement, while urging the Federal Government to prioritise collaboration with state governments, local communities, and traditional leaders to ensure that the initiative is effective and responsive to local needs.
He said: “States like Benue have already taken the initiatives to protect their forests and communities. The Federal Government’s proposal should consider the local context, successes, and challenges of existing security outfits to ensure effective implementation.”
Another voice from Benue State, Pastor Dave Ogbole – a public analyst – said there was nothing wrong in deploying forest guards as part of the nation’s security architecture.
Their roles, he said, would complement those of other security agencies in the state to provide for a more secured Nigeria.
Ogbole who recalled that the Police Act specified the role of the Nigeria Police as far as the maintenance of law and order, arrest and prosecution, are concerned, equally recalled that when the NSCDC Act was passed, there was variation between police function and the NSCDC which focuses on public infrastructure.
He described the proposed forest guards as a child of necessity because of “the growing menace on the uninhibited, untapped and under-developed forest reserves in Nigeria. We have a vast forest reserve in Nigeria that stretches close to 200 kms and since nature abhors a vacuum, anything you don’t utilise, other factors would multiply in those places and use them as cover.
“None of our paramilitary agencies has the training to do asymmetric warfare in the forest area. So, with this, their scope is defined because they would be trained on asymmetric warfare as far as the forest area is concerned and their duty is to make sure that our forests are rid of all the menace and the elements that are threatening our national security.
“So, it is not like an addition or a duplication; it is rather a complementation because of the specific roles they would be playing.”
While he described Benue people as courageous, the reverend gentleman recounted that the fighting spirit of the people was still intact although times have changed.
He said: “There was a time in the world generally, Nigeria and Benue State particularly, when there was absence of a constituted government. So, every man, every family and every community was a government unto themselves. That was the time the forefathers of Benue fought the jihadists with simple bows and poisoned arrows.
“Then the North, East and West had constituted local authorities – kingdoms, but the Middle Belt had no such structures; so every community protected itself and that was why our forefathers could use bows, arrows and uncommon courage to wade off invaders and stop the jihadists.
“Now we live in the days of a constituted government that has the responsibility constitutionally to protect lives and property and the forces are there to prevent criminality.
“But there is a general outcry that the force with which the Federal Government prescribed IPOB, should use the same vigour to proscribe the herdsmen militia. That is the imbalance where we are suspecting that selective justice is being done as far as fighting criminality in the Nigerian state is concerned.
“So, Benue people are courageous, but courage can only be in the presence of ability to defend yourself, wherein the Federal Government is putting disarmament programmes on ground and communities are left vulnerable and not able to defend themselves.
“People cannot defend themselves empty handed. If there was an opportunity for the Benue people to bear arms and defend themselves and their communities, all these killings would not be seen again.”
He blamed the severity of the killings happening in Tiv land on their sparse settlement patterns, saying in times of attacks, they are not able to regroup and mobilise to repel the attackers.
He said the attraction of the invaders are the basic needs of their cattle which are water and green grass, thus making areas like Agatu, Gwer West, Makurdi, Logo, Buruku, Katsina-Ala LGAs which are riverine communities target areas.
“So, this is where the forest guards are important because it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that those forest reserves that border Benue and Taraba, Nasarawa are well cleared out and utilised for agricultural purposes so that it will deter encroachment.
“There is also lack of willpower on the part of the Federal Government to deploy adequate forces that will flush out all those criminalities.
“I bear witness that Benue people are brave and courageous, but Benue soldiers or policemen cannot redeploy themselves back home to be able to wade off threats to their own communities.
“So, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to redeploy adequate security forces to the state; and if they feel the police and armed forces are overstretched, let them accelerate the bill for state policing so that states can recruit their own police force and feel free to deploy them to combat threats anywhere around their states,” he said.
Ogbole also suggested that the local security personnel be given combat or counter-insurgency training to equip them with the tactics to combat the herdsmen militia.
On the other hand, Mike Igu, a public affairs analyst based in Abia State, stated vehemently that rather than establish a national forest guards, personnel of the NSCDC corps should be deployed to do the work meant for the proposed agency.
“The NSCDC personnel presently have not much work at hand; instead of establishing another body, let them be deployed to the forests to do the work forest guards are supposed to do and they will do it effectively and efficiently,” he said.
Igu said what is needed now was to strengthen the NSCDC, adding that engaging its personnel would save cost for the country.
On the other hand, the Executive Director of the Leadership, Entrepreneurship and Advocacy Network, Ephraim Okenwa, warned against agency proliferation.
According to him, “multiplicity of security agencies will not improve the current security architecture. It will lead to inter-agency rivalry. The Federal Government should adequately fund the existing ones.
“It’s all about putting the necessary structures in place. The state and federal legislatures need to develop a proper template to ensure effective administration,” he added.
Okenwa warned that interference from the Nigeria Police might undermine the agency’s efforts when operational, pointing out that lack of a legal framework, inadequate manpower, and poor resources remain major challenges.
Decentralised security most fitting
Rather than funding forest guards, a retired Army General and Labour Party chieftain, General Chris Eze, called for full decentralisation of Nigeria’s security architecture.
“Even the Army and all command outfits should be decentralised in operations and administration to the zones. We are tired of a good-for-nothing centralised, manipulated and sedated elephant that is worm-infested to its very roots by corrupt unrepentant maggots of imperialists,” he said.
Eze argued that unless forest guards are treated equally with federal security agencies, the initiative is doomed.
“To make this kind of decentralisation work in security, state governors must replicate nearly if not wholly the kind of conditions of service that members of national security agencies enjoy.
“If casualties occur and the forest guards or their next of kins are denied compensation that is guaranteed to other security elements, a sharp drop in morale will inevitably follow. That is my worry,” he said.
How communities will help forest guards
It is Ichull’s considered view that the success of any security initiative depends on community engagement, trust, and ownership.
Therefore, he maintained that “the Federal Government should work closely with state governments, local communities, and traditional leaders to ensure that the proposed forest guards are effective and responsive to local needs.
“Benue State, for example, has the highest number of ex-servicemen who need light training to fit into the specific role of protecting the forests and ensuring the security of waterways.
“After the perennial stuttering of the Federal Government regarding the siege on Benue, it’s difficult for people to have confidence in federal agencies to secure their forests exclusively.
“So, it is the responsibility of the Federal Government to redeploy adequate security forces to the state and if it feels the police and armed forces are over-stretched; let it accelerate the bill for state policing so that states can recruit their own police force and feel free to deploy them to combat threats anywhere around their states.”
He also suggested that local security personnel be given combat or counter-insurgency training to equip them with the tactics to combat the herdsmen militia.