Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, has approved a comprehensive restructuring of the Enugu State Forest Guard as part of efforts to strengthen security in the state.

Part of the reforms is an upward review of salaries of the operatives to a minimum of N80,000 in line with the new state minimum wage. Mbah also ordered a clampdown on illegal logging, directing that anyone caught felling immature trees or engaging in deforestation across the state’s forests be arrested and prosecuted under existing laws.

State Commander of the Forest Guard, retired Deputy Commissioner of Police, DG Akinbayo Olasoji, stated this during a series of stakeholder engagements held across the three senatorial districts at Agbani, Nsukka and Awgu.

Olasoji explained that the meetings with local council chairmen, traditional rulers, town union leaders, farmers, hunters, vigilante groups, women and youth representatives were aimed at ensuring transparency and community ownership in the forthcoming recruitment process.

Applicants, he stressed, must be persons of integrity, with their nominations endorsed by their traditional rulers and town union presidents, who would also be held accountable for their conduct.

“We are here to have a heart-to-heart conversation with our stakeholders on how to keep politics and favouritism out of this exercise. We want trusted youths who know the forests, rivers and caves of their communities. They must not be involved in crime or drugs,” he said.

The Commander added that the new approach would enable communities to nominate trusted youths who can play a frontline role in tackling insecurity.

“Our target is to disrupt criminal hideouts, rescue victims and secure our forests. The first batch will undergo two months of training by the end of this month, in line with directives from the Office of the National Security Adviser.” he explained.

He also appealed for collaboration from stakeholders, stressing the need for community members to volunteer timely information on criminal hideouts and illegal camps in the forests for the effective operations of the Forest Guard.