By SUMAILA OGBAJE

The Federal Government has expanded the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative to 10 states, with more than 9,000 personnel trained to strengthen security in forests and other ungoverned spaces used by kidnappers, bandits and other criminal groups.

The statement from the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) on Friday said the programme was coordinated by ONSA and implemented under the operational leadership of the Department of State Services.

It said other participating agencies included the National Intelligence Agency, Defence Headquarters, Nigeria Police Force and the National Park Service.

According to the statement, the initiative is being implemented in partnership with participating state governments to reduce the vulnerability of forests, border communities and other ungoverned spaces exploited by criminal elements.

It said the latest phase covered Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where more than 2,000 forest guards had completed training and were set for deployment to identified security flashpoints.

The statement added that the development followed the earlier training and graduation of more than 7,000 forest guards in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.

According to ONSA, many of the recruits were drawn from communities affected by kidnapping, banditry and related security challenges because of their familiarity with forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and inter-state routes.

It said their local knowledge would enhance surveillance, intelligence gathering and access to difficult terrains that conventional security personnel might find challenging to navigate.

The statement said the recruits underwent screening, background checks and security vetting before selection to verify their identities, community records and suitability for security responsibilities.

It added that they were subsequently trained in weapons handling, navigation, field craft, patrol operations, intelligence gathering and forest protection to prepare them for structured security operations.

According to the statement, the initiative is designed to restrict the movement of criminal groups through poorly monitored forest corridors often used to establish camps, conceal abducted victims and move across communities and state boundaries.

It said the forest guards would also strengthen intelligence sharing between rural communities and conventional security agencies by serving as a bridge for timely information and early warning.

The statement said the personnel would be deployed to forests, remote settlements, border communities and other vulnerable locations to support surveillance, intelligence-led operations and crime prevention.

It said the governors of Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states commended the Office of the National Security Adviser for coordinating the initiative, describing it as a strategic intervention to complement existing security arrangements.

The governors also pledged to support the welfare, deployment and operations of the forest guards in their respective states.

According to the statement, the broader objective of the initiative is to restore government presence in vulnerable areas, protect rural communities and deny criminal groups safe havens in Nigeria’s forests. (NAN)

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