The Federal Government has graduated over 7,000 newly recruited Forest Guards from seven frontline states, ordering their immediate deployment to strengthen security and reclaim Nigeria’s forests from criminal elements.
The announcement came in a statement on Saturday by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant to the Minister of Information, following the completion of a three-month intensive training under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched in May 2025 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. Graduation ceremonies were held on December 27, 2025, in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states.
Coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the initiative targets terrorists, kidnappers, bandits, and other criminal groups hiding in forested or hard-to-reach areas. The training combined environmental conservation principles with advanced security skills, including long-range patrols, tactical fieldcraft, ambush response drills, and rescue operations.
National Security Adviser Mallam Nuhu Ribadu described the Forest Guards as “first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture,” confirming that deployment would begin immediately, with no administrative gap. Salaries and allowances will commence as guards proceed directly to their assigned duty posts.
The programme recorded a 98.2 per cent completion rate. Eighty-one trainees were disqualified for disciplinary reasons, while two others died from pre-existing medical conditions. All successful participants are indigenous to their respective local areas, a move aimed at enhancing terrain familiarity, intelligence gathering, and community trust.
The initiative is an inter-agency programme led by ONSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, operationally coordinated by the Department of State Services and the National Park Service, with strategic support from the Armed Forces, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.
Governors and deputy governors from the participating states, including Kwara’s AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Yobe’s Mai Mala Buni, attended the ceremonies. Ribadu affirmed that the programme would expand nationwide, adding: “By protecting our forests, we are securing our territory. And by securing our territory, we are protecting our people.”
