By Rhoda Godwin
Ilorin, Kwara State — Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, on Saturday declared that there would be no safe haven for terrorists, kidnappers, and other criminal elements in the state as about 1,000 newly trained forest guards completed their training and were deployed to strengthen the state’s security architecture.
Speaking at the passing-out parade of the forest guards in Ilorin, the governor described the initiative as a “game changer” in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, and other crimes exploiting forested and ungoverned spaces.
According to AbdulRazaq, the deployment of armed forest guards sends a clear message that criminals now have only two options: leave Kwara State immediately or face severe consequences.
“This initiative opens a new page in our campaign against terrorism, kidnapping, and opportunist attacks on our people,” the governor said. “The enlistment of forest guards to complement the efforts of our security forces clearly shows the government’s commitment to ridding our land of criminal elements.”
He commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for what he described as a bold and innovative policy to reclaim Nigeria’s forests from criminal occupation and enhance public safety. He also praised the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), and other security agencies for their roles in training and coordinating the guards.
The governor noted that the forest guards, most of whom were recruited from local communities, would work closely with conventional security agencies and local vigilantes to flush out terrorists and restore peace across the state.
“Our people deserve peace as freeborn citizens. We have had enough. Anyone who threatens this peace is an enemy of the state and will not be spared,” AbdulRazaq declared.
He further disclosed that the state, in collaboration with ONSA, plans to ensure that each local government area eventually has at least 200 forest guards to fortify forest zones and protect lives and property.
The event attracted top security commanders, cabinet members, local government chairpersons, traditional rulers, and heads of federal and state agencies, as well as tertiary institutions.
In his remarks, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, said the forest guards would be deployed immediately to vulnerable and threatened communities, particularly in forested and ungoverned areas.
Ribadu explained that the Presidential Forest Guards initiative is a joint federal and state intervention currently being piloted in Adamawa, Borno, Kwara, Kebbi, Niger, Sokoto, and Yobe states.
Represented by the Assistant Director General of the DSS, Femi Shotayo, the NSA said the guards have a dual mandate: to protect Nigeria’s forest ecosystems and to serve as a force multiplier in tackling banditry, insurgency, terrorism, and other crimes.
“Beyond being first responders, they are expected to gather actionable intelligence, support ongoing operations, and restore state presence where it has long been absent,” he said.
Ribadu added that the guards’ salaries and allowances would commence immediately and urged them to strictly adhere to their oaths of allegiance, respect human rights, gender rights, and rules of engagement.
“The oath you have taken is a binding pledge of loyalty to the Nigerian state. You are expected to uphold discipline, professionalism, and the highest standards of conduct,” he stressed.
Highlights of the ceremony included tactical displays showcasing the guards’ training in attack, self-defence, intelligence gathering, and operational readiness to combat kidnapping, cattle rustling, deforestation, and illegal mining.
— Rafiu Ajakaye
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor
