The Chairman of the Institute of Security and Safety Studies, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Chikwe Udensi, has cautioned against viewing forest guards as a solution to Nigeria’s worsening insecurity, arguing that their primary role is forest conservation rather than combating terrorists and bandits.
Speaking with ARISE NEWS in an interview on Monday, amid the growing trend of state governments establishing forest guard units, Udensi said the personnel are neither trained nor equipped to confront heavily armed criminal groups operating in forests across the country.
“We must have to understand the role and duties of forest guards. Their role and duty is not necessarily to tackle this level of insecurity we have—terrorists, banditry. They cannot do that job,” he stressed.
“Are they going to carry arms? Are we going to allow them to enter the forest in their uniforms without arms? That would be unfortunate. Actually, what a forest guard does is conservation. Making sure that poachers and illegal loggers do not take over the field. That is exactly their job. It is not going to handle this level of insecurity we have. With the level of arms and ammunition that these terrorists are having in the forests, is it this category of people we are going to send in there?”, he quizzed.
Responding to suggestions that state governments may have intended to establish a force similar to a “National Guard”, Udensi argued that the current description of the units as forest guards reflects a fundamental misunderstanding of their role. According to him, Nigeria’s security challenges have grown too severe to be addressed by such personnel, stressing that tackling insurgency and organised criminal groups requires a more robust and specialised security framework.
“That is what it ought to be. We should be talking about a National Guard, not forest guards. Because forest guards, by their nomenclature and by the provisions of what is happening around the world—what their duties and jobs are—it is certainly beyond that area. They cannot do that job. The insecurity we have is enormous and requires much more than forest guards. I don’t know any miracle they are supposed to perform by going into the forest to eliminate or make sure that this insecurity does not continue,” he insisted
Udensi also questioned the rationale behind assigning forest guards responsibilities traditionally handled by the military and other security agencies.
“The question is, why must we do things the wrong way? Why must we always do things the wrong way?”
Referring to directives aimed at deploying the personnel to flush out terrorists from forests and other ungoverned spaces, he insisted that such expectations are unrealistic given the nature of the threat.
“I saw the marching orders of Mr. President; I read through it. It says that we are going to put the forest guards together to go and flush out and exterminate the insurgency we have in our forests. They cannot do that. That is a joke, a very serious joke,” he stressed.
Beyond concerns about operational capacity, Udensi raised questions about the recruitment process for the proposed forest guard units. He argued that without a comprehensive and reliable national database for background checks, authorities could struggle to properly vet recruits.
“Moreover, when you are recruiting these gentlemen, who are they? Which national database do we have to make sure that no criminals are recruited? Are you not recruiting criminals to go and fight criminality?”, he questioned.
On the broader question of how to tackle insecurity, Udensi argued that the focus should be on addressing weaknesses within existing security institutions.
“It appears very clearly that the Army, the Air Force, the Navy that are already doing this job—and some of our other law enforcement agencies that have gotten involved in the process—it appears they are failing. We need to look into this,” he advised.
According to him, authorities must ensure that only qualified and trustworthy personnel are enlisted, while also providing adequate remuneration and support. Failure to do so, he warned, could leave security operatives vulnerable to corruption and compromise, ultimately undermining efforts to combat terrorism.
“First and foremost, who are you recruiting? Are you recruiting criminals to go and dispel criminality? Two, if you recruit the right people, pay them properly. Because if you do not pay them, they will utilize the equipment or the tools—which they are supposed to use to fight criminality—against the state. That’s what they will do. And if you see that right now, we are not paying them well. We are paying peanuts. And like you know, if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys,” he warned.
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