President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a national forest guard system and directed the recruitment of more than 130,000 armed operatives to secure Nigeria’s 1,129 forest reserves.
The initiative is aimed at strengthening internal security and protecting forested areas from criminal elements,
Each state will recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 heavily armed and professionally trained forest guards, depending on available financial resources.
The recruitment and training processes will be overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment.
Security agencies, traditional rulers, and community leaders are also expected to play active roles in the implementation.
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Although at least 11 states already have operational forest guards—also known as forest rangers or forest security personnel—the new directive is set to arm and expand the corps to support broader national security objectives.
The move comes amid growing concerns over the use of forested regions as hideouts by kidnappers, bandits, and other criminal groups.
The national guard system is expected to serve as a strategic layer of defence across Nigeria’s vulnerable forest zones.
