The Federal Government has graduated over 7,000 newly recruited Forest Guards drawn from seven frontline states, with immediate deployment ordered to strengthen internal security and reclaim Nigeria’s forests from criminal elements.

The development was announced in a statement signed on Saturday by the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Rabiu Ibrahim, following the completion of a three-month intensive training programme under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative launched in May 2025 by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Graduation ceremonies were held on December 27, 2025, across Borno, Sokoto, Yobe, Adamawa, Niger, Kwara and Kebbi states.

The initiative, coordinated through the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), is aimed at denying terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal groups access to forested and hard-to-reach areas used as hideouts.

The Federal Government said the training was deliberately rigorous, combining environmental conservation principles with advanced security competencies to produce a disciplined and mission-ready force capable of sustained forest operations.

Trainees underwent physical and mental conditioning, long-range patrol simulations, tactical fieldcraft, ambush response drills and rescue operations.

Addressing participants at the ceremonies, the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, described the initiative as a major step toward restoring state authority and protecting vulnerable communities.

He said, “These Forest Guards are not just uniformed personnel. They are first responders, community protectors, and a critical layer of Nigeria’s security architecture.”

Ribadu confirmed that deployment would begin immediately, stressing that there would be no administrative gap between graduation and field operations.

“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 said.

According to the statement, the programme recorded a 98.2 per cent completion rate, with 81 trainees disqualified on disciplinary grounds, while two others died from pre-existing medical conditions.

All successful participants have been certified and cleared for operational duties.

The Forest Guards are indigenous to their respective local government areas, a factor the government said would enhance terrain familiarity, intelligence gathering and community trust in tackling banditry, kidnapping and illegal exploitation of forest resources.

The initiative is an inter-agency national security programme led by ONSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Environment, and operationally coordinated by the Department of State Services and the National Park Service, with strategic input from the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Governors and deputy governors from the participating states attended the ceremonies, including Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and Yobe State Governor Mai Mala Buni.

Reaffirming the Federal Government’s resolve, Ribadu said the programme would be expanded nationwide.

“By protecting our forests, we are securing our territory. And by securing our territory, we are protecting our people,” NSA noted.