The Federal Government has graduated more than 7,000 forest guards from seven states, marking a major step in its push to tackle insecurity in forested and hard-to-reach areas nationwide.
The development was announced in a statement on Saturday by Rabiu Ibrahim, Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, following the completion of a three-month intensive training programme under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in May 2025.
Graduation ceremonies were held on December 27, 2025, across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states.
According to the statement, the initiative is a coordinated federal–state intervention aimed at reclaiming forests from criminal groups, including terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers who exploit remote terrains as hideouts.
The programme was designed to reinforce Nigeria’s internal security architecture by denying criminal elements safe havens and strengthening surveillance in vulnerable regions.
“The training was deliberately intensive, structured, and demanding, intending to produce disciplined, agile, and capable field operatives,” the statement said.
The curriculum covered human rights, International Humanitarian Law (IHL), gender rights, and civilian protection. Arms handling and use-of-force protocols were tightly regulated under an Arms Management Manual agreed by all participating agencies.
Nuhu Ribadu, National Security Adviser (NSA), said the newly graduated guards are already being deployed to their duty posts without delay.
“There will be no gap between graduation and deployment. Salaries and allowances will commence immediately, and every certified guard will report directly to assigned locations,” Ribadu said.
He explained that the forest guards will help secure territories, gather intelligence, and support existing security agencies in reclaiming areas previously overrun by criminal groups.
“By protecting our forests, we are securing our territory, and by securing our territory, we are protecting our people. This initiative will continue to expand nationwide,” he added.
The trainees underwent rigorous physical and mental conditioning, including endurance drills, obstacle courses, and long-range patrol simulations to prepare them for sustained forest operations.
The Nigerian Forest Guard programme is an inter-agency initiative involving the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Federal Ministry of Environment, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the National Park Service, with support from the Armed Forces, Police, and Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
The graduation comes shortly after the Federal Government designated kidnappers and violent armed groups as terrorists, signalling a tougher national response to rural violence, mass abductions, and attacks on farming communities.
Officials say the forest guards are expected to close key security gaps by combining local intelligence, surveillance, and rapid-response capabilities in Nigeria’s most difficult terrains.
