President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of forest guards to protect Nigerian forests, many of which are occupied by terrorist groups.
Many young Nigerians will be employed and trained to be members of the forest guard, Sunday Dare, the special adviser to the president on media and public communication, said in a Wednesday statement.
“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,” the statement read. “This recruitment is a security collaborative effort between the federal and state governments.”
According to the statement, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Ministry of Environment have been directed to take charge and ensure full implementation.
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“President Tinubu had warned terrorists that his administration would not surrender an inch of the country’s territory to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs operating inside the forests. President Tinubu vowed that the country would take back its forests,” Mr Dare added.
Armed personnel known as park rangers under the National Park Service already carry out similar duties, and it is unclear if the Nigerian government will maintain the two agencies for the same function or merge them.
Reservoirs of Terror
According to official records, there are a total of 1,129 forests across the country. However, PREMIUM TIMES understands that many of these reserved areas are under the control of terrorists.
For instance, the insurgents in the North-east are taking cover in Sambisa forest and other ungoverned areas in the region.
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It is, arguably, more worrisome in the North-west where terrorists, locally known as bandits, take cover in forest reserves like Kuwaimbana, Kamuku, Birnin Gwari and Rugu.
Taking advantage of porous borders, these criminal gangs connect to other forests in North-central and South-west where they have maintained strongholds in Alawa forest, Kainji National Park, Old Oyo National Park and other forests around the Ondo axis.
Militant secessionists also control some forests in the South-east of the country.
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