The Yobe State Government has recruited 1,886 forest guards to strengthen security and protect lives and property in border communities adjoining the Niger Republic.

The state government said the recruitment was aimed at supporting ongoing counter-terrorism operations in the border communities of Geidam, Nguru, Yusufari and Yunusari local government areas.

Speaking during the unveiling and deployment of the guards on Tuesday in Damaturu, the Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Mai Mala Buni, Dahiru Abdulsalam, said the initiative was designed to complement the efforts of troops of Operation Hadin Kai, local hunters and other security agencies.

“Our deployment of the forest guards was aimed at complementing the efforts of troops of Operation Hadin Kai, local hunters and other security agencies to effectively block the operational gaps exploited by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province terrorists in remote communities and the Yusufari and Sasawa forests,” he said.

Abdulsalam noted that Yobe had remained at the forefront of the insurgency since the emergence of the extremist group in Kanama in 2003, when it was initially referred to as the “Nigerian Taliban”, before the full-scale insurgency began on July 26, 2009, in Maiduguri, Borno State.

According to him, the insurgency intensified in Yobe from 2011, forcing the state government to shoulder major operational responsibilities, including payment of troops’ allowances, logistics support, rations and provision of operational vehicles.

“From 2011 to 2015, the state government solely supported many aspects of the operation because the initial federal attention was largely concentrated on Borno State,” he said.

He explained that the military offensive had evolved over the years, with each phase introducing new operational strategies into the counter-insurgency campaign in the North-East.

The security adviser identified Gulani, Gujba, Damaturu, Tarmuwa, Bursari, Yusufari and Geidam local government areas in Yobe East Senatorial District as the communities most affected by insurgent activities because of their proximity to trans-border routes linking Chad, Niger and Cameroon.

He said Boko Haram fighters often infiltrate Yobe from neighbouring parts of Borno State to carry out attacks before retreating to the Sambisa Forest and the Lake Chad region.

“Apart from the Bulabulin Forest in Yusufari Local Government Area, where there is a known Boko Haram presence, there are no major insurgent camps inside Yobe State,” he stated.

Abdulsalam commended the military, the Department of State Services, hunters and vigilante groups for their coordinated efforts in containing insurgent movements and disrupting logistics supply chains.

He also praised the Chief of Defence Staff, Christopher Musa, and the Chief of Army Staff, Olufemi Oluyede, for supporting community-based security initiatives.

According to him, Oluyede personally sponsored about 200 local hunters by providing logistics, allowances, feeding and operational equipment to strengthen security coverage in vulnerable communities.

He added that the newly recruited forest guards had been armed, placed on salary structures and deployed to support surveillance and combat operations in identified flashpoints.

The adviser further disclosed that the state government maintains welfare support for families of fallen security volunteers and local hunters assisting the military.