Forest guards project has taken off – NSA

• National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu announced the federal government has begun implementing the recently approved national forest guards programme
• NDLEA Chief Buba Marwa emphasized that drug abuse and trafficking fuel kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency and cult violence nationwide

Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, revealed on Wednesday that the federal government has begun the process of implementing the recently announced forest guards programme.

Ribadu stated that the project was initiated as part of the current administration’s efforts to strengthen national security across the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

According to reports, on May 15, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the establishment of the National Forest Guard system as part of measures to address Nigeria’s escalating security challenges.

According to the president, each state will recruit between 2,000 and 5,000 forest guards, depending on its capacity, to stem the tide of criminals using many of the ungoverned spaces as hideouts.

The NSA’s fresh announcement came less than two weeks after this newspaper spotlighted why the forest guards project was yet to take off two months after it was announced by the president.

Speaking in Abuja at the inauguration of 46 new vehicles distributed to NDLEA strategic commands and formations in Abuja, Ribadu described the initiative as one of several ongoing measures aimed at safeguarding communities and protecting the country’s natural reserves.

The former EFCC boss assured Nigerians that the security of the nation is in capable hands, adding that there are daily improvements in the security sector, some of which may not be immediately visible to the public.

He challenged NDLEA officers to view the event as a call to action to do more, remain vigilant, act within the law and uphold the highest standards of professionalism.

While explaining the importance of the fight against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking to national security, the Chairman/Chief Executive of NDLEA, Gen Buba Marwa (retd), said, “We know from both intelligence and experience that drug abuse and trafficking are central to many security challenges in the country.

“The link is undeniable: kidnapping, armed robbery, insurgency and cult violence are all fuelled by illicit substances. Drug trafficking emboldens perpetrators, strips away moral restraint and replaces hope with recklessness.

“No serious approach to national security can ignore drug control, and this is why we pursue our mandate with focus, determination, and the results are there to show.”