The Kaduna State government has graduated the first batch of one thousand Armed Forest Guards as part of measures to beef up security and recapture forest regions hitherto used as hideouts by criminal gangs.
Governor Uba Sani, speaking to the passing-out parade in Kaduna yesterday, said the ceremony represents a significant milestone in the state’s fight against insecurity, Channels TV reports.
The new trained individuals, he said, will supplement the operations of the Armed Forces and other security services by increasing monitoring, intelligence collecting and rapid response in forested areas.
The governor said the formation of the Armed Forest Guards shows the state’s resolve to take pre-emptive action to meet the growing sophistication of security threats. The guards, he said, had undergone training in advanced operational capabilities to assist in dismantling criminal networks operating from forest routes.
Governor Sani said for years, vast parts of Kaduna’s woodlands had been safe havens for bandits, kidnappers, cattle rustlers and other criminal elements, contributing to loss of lives, displacement of families and interruption of farming activities.
“The mandate of the Forest Guards is to deny criminals access to the forest bases and work in close collaboration with the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and other relevant agencies,” he said.
He said the organization is meant to complement existing security arrangements, not replace them.
The governor said that the guards’ familiarity of the local area will increase intelligence gathering and operational effectiveness.
He also observed the progress made in the restoration of security in the state, including the reopening of over 125 schools earlier shut due to insecurity, resumption of farming and health services in the affected communities and improved access to local government areas such as Birnin Gwari, Zangon Kataf, Giwa, Kauru, Kachia and Kajuru.
Sani called on the federal government to authorise the recruitment of additional 1,000 Forest Guards for Kaduna State.
He also praised the cooperation of President Bola Tinubu and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu in moving the initiative forward.
Kaduna governor ordered them to carry out their duties with integrity, professionalism, discipline and respect for human rights.
He also urged locals to support the security outfit with credible and timely intelligence, reiterating his administration’s commitment to investing in technology, education, agriculture, job creation and other programs to tackle the root causes of insecurity.
The Director of Internal Security, Sani Sani, who represented the National Security Adviser at the event, said that the Forest Guard project was launched by President Bola Tinubu in May 2025 to defend ungoverned forest areas, maintain biodiversity, protect watersheds and preserve wildlife.
The Kaduna training programme, he said, began on June 15, 2026, and produced 1,101 personnel after two months of rigorous training in weapons handling, physical fitness, battle preparedness, civil-military cooperation and adherence to international humanitarian law.
“The guards are meant to be the first responders in their communities and to support conventional security agencies,” he said. Deployment and payment of salaries will happen immediately, graduates were informed.
Sani complimented the Kaduna State administration and the trainers from the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service, the DSS and National Park Service, for developing one of the most comprehensive Forest Guard training programs in the country.
The Training Officer, Lt Cdr Sani Abdullahi of the Nigerian Navy, told the trainees that the course included marksmanship, patrol and tracking, raid and ambush operation, combat first aid, communications and cordon and search procedures.
He said the training had created disciplined and professionally trained professionals who could support security operations and protect lives, property and important national assets.
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