The Federal Government of Nigeria has graduated more than 7,000 Forest Guards and ordered their immediate deployment as part of a renewed push to deny criminals access to forested and hard-to-reach areas across the country.
Okay News reports that the operatives were trained under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative, launched in May 2025 by President Bola Tinubu, Nigeria’s President and Commander-in-Chief, and coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
The initiative represents a joint Federal–State security intervention aimed at reclaiming Nigeria’s forests from terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups that have used the terrain as operational sanctuaries.
Graduation ceremonies were held on 27 December in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States, regions that have remained on the frontline of Nigeria’s internal security challenges.
Officials said the three-month training programme was deliberately intensive, combining physical endurance drills, long-range patrol simulations, and tactical fieldcraft with environmental conservation principles.
The curriculum included ambush response, rescue operations, coordinated offensive actions, and intelligence gathering, alongside strict instruction on human rights and International Humanitarian Law to ensure disciplined and lawful operations.
Speaking at the ceremonies, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu said the Forest Guards would serve as first responders and community protectors, supporting existing security agencies in holding and reclaiming territory from criminal elements.
Ribadu confirmed that deployment would begin immediately, stressing that there would be no delay between graduation and operational duty, while salaries and allowances would also commence at once.
Authorities disclosed that the programme recorded a 98.2 percent completion rate, with 81 trainees disqualified for disciplinary reasons and two fatalities linked to pre-existing medical conditions, while all successful participants were fully certified.
The guards are indigenous to their local government areas, a strategy designed to leverage terrain familiarity and community trust, with operational coordination involving the Department of State Services, National Park Service, and other Nigerian security agencies.
The Federal Government said the Forest Guards Initiative will be expanded nationwide, describing forest security as a critical pillar of restoring state authority and strengthening Nigeria’s internal security framework.
