Abuja, December 27, 2025
– The Federal Government of Nigeria, through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), has graduated over 7,000 newly recruited Forest Guards from seven frontline states after completing an intensive three-month training programme under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative, launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, in May 2025.
This coordinated Federal-State security intervention aims to reclaim Nigeria’s forests from criminal exploitation.
Graduation ceremonies took place today across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi States. The programme is set to bolster Nigeria’s internal security by denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal groups sanctuary in forested and hard-to-reach terrains.
The training was intensive and demanding, transforming loyal Nigerians into agile, disciplined field operatives. It combined environmental conservation with advanced security skills for a professional, mission-ready force.
Trainees endured rigorous physical and mental conditioning, including endurance exercises, obstacle-crossing drills, and long-range patrol simulations for sustained operations in forests.
They received tactical training in fieldcraft, such as movement techniques, enemy-contact drills, ambush responses, rescue operations, and coordinated offensives—to eliminate criminal sanctuaries in forest areas.
The curriculum strongly emphasized ethics, legality, and professionalism, focusing on human rights, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), gender rights, and civilian protection.
Arms handling and use-of-force were strictly governed by an Arms Management Manual agreed upon by all agencies.
At the ceremonies, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu hailed the initiative as a decisive move to restore state authority and protect vulnerable communities.
“These Forest Guards are not just uniformed personnel. They are first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture. They will hold ground, gather intelligence, and support security agencies in reclaiming territories previously overtaken by criminal elements.”
Ribadu confirmed immediate deployment with no delays.
“There will be no delay between graduation and deployment. Salaries and allowances will commence immediately, and every certified guard will proceed directly to assigned duty posts.”
The programme achieved a 98.2 per cent completion rate. Eighty-one trainees were disqualified for disciplinary reasons, and two passed away due to pre-existing medical conditions. All successful graduates are fully certified for service.
The guards, indigenous to their local government areas, will use terrain knowledge and community trust to combat banditry, kidnapping, and illegal forest resource exploitation.
The Nigerian Forest Guard is an inter-agency initiative under the National Security Adviser’s leadership, collaborating with the Federal Ministry of Environment, and coordinated operationally by the Department of State Services (DSS) and National Park Service.
It incorporates doctrine and input from Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) for unified command and effectiveness.
Governors and deputy governors from the seven states attended, including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, with others represented by deputies.
Reaffirming commitment, the NSA stated: “By protecting our forests, we are securing our territory. And by securing our territory, we are protecting our people. The federal government will not relent. This initiative will expand nationwide as part of our sustained effort to build a safer and more secure Nigeria.”
BREAKING: Over 7,000 Forest Guards Graduate, Deployed Immediately to Reclaim Nigeria’s Forests from Bandits and Terrorists
