President Bola Tinubu’s approval for the establishment of armed forest guards to secure Nigeria’s 1,129 forests from terrorists and criminal gangs has attracted commendations across the country.
A former member of Abia State House of Assembly, Honourable Obinna Ichita, who represented Aba South State Constituency, said that by this bold move, Tinubu has further demonstrated a genuine interest in swiftly addressing the security challenges in Nigeria, particularly in the South East and other vulnerable regions.
Ichita, who was a deputy governorship candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the 2023 general elections, said that the approval, which includes a mandate for each state to recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 forest guards based on their capacity, is a critical step toward enhancing forest security, following recent bitter experiences.
He expressed optimism that the introduction of the forest guards will prevent further loss of life and effectively flush out foreign elements and their local collaborators who exploit the forests as hideouts for kidnapping and other criminal acts.
“By approving the establishment of armed forest guards, the President has further demonstrated a genuine interest in swiftly addressing our challenges and complaints in the South East and elsewhere.
“It is my hope and prayer that this intervention by Mr. President and subsequent engagement and coordination with the state governments will prevent further loss of life and thus, flush out those foreign elements and their local collaborators, who hide in our forests to kidnap and kill our people,” Ichita emphasized.
The ex-lawmaker further recommended that to secure the buy-in of local communities, a robust information dissemination campaign must be activated, noting that many people, especially in the South-East, have developed apathy toward joining various security agencies in the country.
Mr. Sunday Dare, the Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Media and Public Communication, stated that the President directed that the forest guards be well-trained and armed to carry out their primary duty of flushing out terrorists and other criminals hiding in the forests for illegal activities. The recruitment will be a collaborative security effort between the federal and state governments.
“The Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and the Ministry of Environment have been tasked with overseeing and ensuring the full implementation of the initiative.
“Thousands of young Nigerians are expected to be employed as personnel of the newly established outfit,” Dare said.
President Tinubu had earlier warned terrorists that his administration would not surrender an inch of the country’s territory to terrorists, bandits, and other criminal gangs operating inside the forests. He vowed that Nigeria would take back its forests.
