EACH STATE TO RECRUIT BETWEEN 2,000 AND 5,000 HEAVILY ARMED FOREST GUARDS

EACH STATE TO RECRUIT BETWEEN 2,000 AND 5,000 HEAVILY ARMED FOREST GUARDS

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of a national forest guard system and ordered the recruitment of over 130,000 armed operatives to secure the country’s 1,129 forest reserves.

• Each state to recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 heavily armed and well-trained forest guards, depending on its financial capacity.
• The recruitment and training will be supervised by the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Ministry of Environment.
• Security agencies, traditional rulers, and community leaders will be involved in the processes.

At least 11 states have operationalised forest guards, also known as forest rangers or forest security, but the plan is to arm and upscale the guards for national security efforts.