The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has said that the newly recruited operatives of the Nigerian Forest Guard will be deployed immediately to insecurity hotspots across the country.
The NSA spoke on Saturday at the graduation ceremony of 7,000 new forest guards who completed three months of training.
Ribadu said the guards would be sent to “forested and ungoverned areas” to “gather actionable human intelligence” and “support ongoing security operations”.
The guards are indigenous to the areas where they will serve, which authorities say will enhance trust, the flow of intelligence, and operational effectiveness.
“We are fully aware of the concerns of Nigerians regarding insecurity across the country,” the NSA said.
“I wish to assure the public that the forest guards will be deployed immediately to identified hot spots to enhance existing security architecture, particularly in forested and ungoverned areas.
“As first responders, they are expected to dominate and ensure the security of the forest ecosystem, gather actionable human intelligence, support ongoing security operations, and enhance presence in hitherto ungoverned spaces.”
The forest guards’ graduation ceremonies were held across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states.
Ribadu added that the federal government would sustain and expand the initiative nationwide.
The Presidential Forest Guards Initiative was launched by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025, aimed at reclaiming Nigeria’s forests from criminal exploitation.
