Banditry: Federal Government Expands Forest Guards Initiative to 10 States, Trains 9,000 Personnel

• The Federal Government expanded its Presidential Forest Guards Initiative to 10 states, with over 9,000 guards trained under the programme
• The latest phase targets Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where more than 2,000 guards are set for deployment to security flashpoints
• Recruits were drawn from communities hit by kidnapping and banditry, chosen for their deep knowledge of forests, footpaths and rural routes

The federal government has extended the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative to cover 10 states across Nigeria, with more than 9,000 personnel trained to help secure forests and remote areas exploited by kidnappers, bandits and armed groups.

The Office of the National Security Adviser coordinates the programme, which is implemented under the operational leadership of the Department of State Services. Other agencies involved include the National Intelligence Agency, Defence Headquarters, the Nigeria Police Force and the National Park Service. Each participating state government is also directly involved in the rollout.

Kaduna, Edo and Kogi Join the Programme

The most recent phase of the initiative covers Kaduna, Edo and Kogi states, where over 2,000 forest guards have completed training and are awaiting deployment to identified security flashpoints. This follows an earlier phase in which more than 7,000 guards graduated from training in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.

A significant number of the recruits came from communities directly affected by kidnapping and banditry. Their selection was based partly on their familiarity with forests, footpaths, rivers, remote settlements and the routes that connect communities across state boundaries — knowledge that security agencies say is difficult to replicate through personnel deployed from outside those areas.

Before joining the programme, all recruits went through screening, background checks and security vetting. Their training covered arms handling, navigation, field craft, patrol operations, intelligence gathering and forest protection.

What the Guards Are Expected to Do

The guards are to be deployed to forests, border communities, remote settlements and other areas where conventional security coverage has remained limited. Their primary roles include surveillance, early-warning operations and intelligence sharing between rural communities and established security agencies.

Kidnappers and bandits frequently use poorly monitored forest corridors to set up camps, hold abducted victims and move between communities and across state and local government boundaries. The initiative aims to cut off this freedom of movement by placing personnel with local knowledge directly in those spaces.

The governors of Kaduna, Edo and Kogi commended the National Security Adviser's office for coordinating the programme. All three state governments said the initiative would build on existing security arrangements and pledged to support the welfare and operations of the guards within their states.

The broader goal of the initiative is to restore government presence in vulnerable communities, protect rural populations and deny criminal groups the use of Nigeria's forests as safe havens.