The Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has trained more than 7,000 forest guards drawn from seven frontline states in a three-month programme under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025.
The special assistant (media) to the minister of information and national orientation, Rabiu Ibrahim, said in a statement in Abuja yesterday that the initiative represented a coordinated federal-state security effort aimed at reclaiming Nigeria's forests from criminal exploitation.
The graduation ceremonies, held yesterday in Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara, and Kebbi states, aim to strengthen Nigeria's internal security by denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal elements sanctuary in forests and hard-to-reach areas.
He said the training programme was deliberately intensive and structured to transform recruits into agile, disciplined and mission-ready operatives.
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He noted that the curriculum combined environmental conservation principles with advanced security skills. Trainees underwent physical and mental conditioning, including endurance exercises, obstacle-crossing drills, and long-range patrol simulations.
He said they were trained in tactical fieldcraft, movement techniques, enemy-contact drills, ambush response, rescue operations and coordinated offensive actions.
"Ethics, legality and professionalism were central to the programme. Training included human rights, International Humanitarian Law, gender rights and civilian protection, while arms handling and use-of-force protocols were strictly regulated under a jointly agreed arms management manual," he said.
At the ceremonies, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu described the initiative as a decisive step towards restoring state authority and protecting 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 said.
He said deployment would commence immediately.
"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," he added, "The programme recorded a 98.2 percent completion rate, with 81 trainees disqualified on disciplinary grounds and two trainees dying due to pre-existing medical conditions. All successful participants have been fully certified and cleared for operational service.
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"Graduates are indigenous to their respective local government areas, allowing them to leverage terrain familiarity and community trust to counter banditry, kidnapping and illegal exploitation of forest resources.
"The Nigerian Forest Guard is an inter-agency national security initiative led by the National Security Adviser in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment and operationally coordinated by the Department of State Services (DSS) and the National Park Service," he said.
He added that it draws strategic input from the Defence Headquarters, Nigerian Army, Navy, Police Force and NSCDC, ensuring unity of command and operational effectiveness.
Governors and deputy governors from the participating states attended the ceremonies, including Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State and Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State.
Reaffirming the federal government's commitment, Ribadu said: "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."
