The Federal Government, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has graduated over 7,000 newly recruited Forest Guards from seven frontline states to strengthen security and protect Nigeria’s forests from criminal exploitation.
The development followed successful completion of a three-month intensive training programme under the Presidential Forests Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May, 2025.
The deployment was contained in a statement on Saturday by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant on Media to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.
According to the statement shared on the Ministry’s X handle, the programme was designed to “strengthen Nigeria’s internal security architecture by denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups sanctuary within forested and hard-to-reach terrains.”
The graduation ceremonies, held on Saturday, 27 December 2025, took place in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States.
Speaking at the ceremonies, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, described the initiative as a decisive step toward restoring state authority and protecting vulnerable communities.
He said, “These Forest Guards are not just uniformed personnel. They are first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture. They will hold ground, gather intelligence, and support security agencies in reclaiming territories previously overtaken by criminal elements.”
The training programme integrated environmental conservation principles with advanced security competencies. Trainees underwent rigorous physical and mental conditioning, including endurance exercises, obstacle-crossing drills, long-range patrol simulations, and tactical fieldcraft.
Daily Trust
