By Onibiyo Segun
Abuja, Nigeria – President Bola Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, to rapidly expand, train, and arm forest guards nationwide to confront Nigeria’s worsening kidnapping and banditry crisis.
In a statement issued on December 10, Sunday Dare, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, said Tinubu directed Ribadu to accelerate the training and arming of forest guards to counter kidnapping, terror attacks, and related crimes thriving in ungoverned forest corridors.
“We face challenges here and there of kidnapping and terrorism. We need all the forces we can utilize. We need to protect our people,” Tinubu said, underscoring urgency amid escalating insecurity.
The directive follows a declared national security emergency, with Tinubu ordering a broader overhaul that includes recruiting more police and soldiers and deploying forest guards alongside conventional forces to flush criminals from hideouts.
Why Forest Hideouts Matter
Security analysts say terrorists, kidnappers, and bandits have turned Nigeria’s vast forests into sanctuaries due to concealment from surveillance, porous borders, and routes inaccessible to regular forces. In the past year, forests in Kwara, Kebbi, and Niger States have been linked to mass abductions and deadly raids.
Major General Adamu Laka, National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, said kidnapping is now a major funding source for terror groups, enabling them to buy arms and sustain operations.
From Environmental Stewards to Anti-Kidnapping Force
The Nigeria Forest Security Service, built on community-based forest oversight, is now central to the policy shift. Joshua Osatimehin, Commander General of the service, said the NFSS operated as forest guards long before federal recognition and knows the terrain better than most agencies.
“We have mapped all these forest areas and designed a strategy to tackle the problem,” Osatimehin said, adding that proper harmonization and equipment could significantly reduce insecurity “within three months.”
Yet critics warn that terrain knowledge alone is insufficient.
“Without substantial investment in training, intelligence capacity, and inter-agency coordination, forest guards may struggle against well-armed bandit and terror networks,” said Dr. Wilson Esangbedo, former President of the Private Security Practitioners Association of Nigeria.
US Armed Drones and the Expanding Security Matrix
Nigeria has reportedly approved U.S. armed unmanned aerial vehicles to strike terrorist targets on its soil, signaling a quiet but significant shift in military cooperation against extremist groups.
Aviation monitors say U.S. surveillance aircraft have conducted extended reconnaissance over Kwara, Ekiti, and parts of Sokoto and Niger States, described as a “historic first” for U.S. ISR operations in Nigeria. The pact reportedly limits operations to unmanned platforms, with Nigeria retaining veto power.
“American involvement was inevitable given persistent intelligence gaps and capability shortfalls within Nigeria’s security forces,” said Professor Emmanuel Musa, Head of Sociology and Criminology at Niger State University.
However, the use of armed UAVs raises sovereignty and accountability concerns, including who authorizes strikes and whether the National Assembly has been briefed, according to TruthNigeria.
On the Ground: Voices from Affected Communities
In parts of Kwara State, where kidnappings have surged, residents describe forests as lawless zones of fear rather than ecological assets.
“Gunmen vanish into tree cover like ghosts, exploiting the absence of a sustained security footprint,” said Abina Momoh, a survivor of a roadside abduction near Edu community in Edu County, Kwara State.
Local farmers told TruthNigeria they feel abandoned by overstretched forces that arrive too late or not at all. Many believe a locally rooted force could deter criminals if properly supported.
“Unless this initiative is paired with modern intelligence, community engagement and accountability mechanisms, it risks repeating past failures,” said Dr. Funmi Ayodele, a defence affairs analyst in Abuja.
Vigilante or Formal Force?
The policy shift raises questions about whether Nigeria is edging toward a decentralized security model using semi-formal forces. Some governors have integrated forest rangers into state frameworks, while others lag due to funding and logistics.
Critics also warn about oversight. Without clear mandates and legal frameworks, forest guards could operate in grey zones, risking abuses seen in loosely regulated community groups.
Can This Strategy Dismantle Criminal Networks?
For communities under constant kidnapping threats, forest guards offer hope, but success depends on more than deployment alone.
“For forest guards to be effective, the federal government must invest in real-time intelligence sharing, technical surveillance, and collaboration with existing agencies,” said defence expert Dr. Tunde Okoro.
Dr. Okoro added, “There’s no shortcut to dismantling entrenched criminal networks. Forest guards can multiply force, but they cannot replace a professional security architecture.”
As the government moves to operationalize the strategy, rural communities watch with cautious optimism and skepticism, hoping forests will no longer serve as havens for terror and ransom.
Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflicts for TruthNigeria.
