…Commander General Osatimehin calls for presidential assent to NFSS Bill to strengthen national forest security
By Kingsley Omonobi
ABUJA — The Commander General of the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS), Dr. Joshua Wole Osatimehin, says the organization’s deep understanding of Nigeria’s forests and close ties with traditional institutions give it a unique intelligence advantage over conventional security agencies in combating insecurity across the country’s vast ungoverned spaces.
Speaking on the operations and structure of the NFSS, Osatimehin said the Service — with over 48,000 trained members — plays a vital role in forest security, biodiversity protection, and intelligence gathering in support of constituted authorities.
“Unlike police officers who are often transferred across states, our members serve in their native environments, where they understand the terrain and interconnectivity of forest routes,” he said. “Our closeness to traditional rulers and knowledge of local intelligence networks give us an advantage over conventional security formations.”
Osatimehin noted that Nigeria has about 1,129 forest reserves, many of which have been degraded due to illegal logging and encroachment. The NFSS, he said, evolved from community-based hunter groups and now operates across the 36 states and the FCT, with presence in all 774 local government areas.
He added that the Service’s creation in 2016 was inspired by the lack of a dedicated agency to safeguard Nigeria’s forest ecosystems — often used as safe havens by bandits, kidnappers, and other criminal elements.
“Over 80 percent of crimes in Nigeria are drug-related, and most of these activities happen in or through forests,” Osatimehin explained. “The NDLEA, Police, and Civil Defence Corps have all trained our members in intelligence gathering, infrastructure protection, and counter-narcotics operations.”
The NFSS, he said, has achieved significant collaboration with state governments. In Bauchi, 850 members were commissioned by Governor Bala Mohammed in 2019; in Borno, Governor Babagana Zulum engaged 1,000 NFSS personnel to protect farmers. In Kogi and Benue, hundreds more were deployed to assist in local intelligence operations.
He highlighted similar engagements in Lagos, Oyo, and Ebonyi States, noting that Lagos pays the highest monthly stipend of ₦85,000 per officer, while Oyo’s forest guards have successfully arrested kidnappers in the Oke Ogun area.
On recruitment, Osatimehin explained that all candidates are screened and recommended by traditional institutions, vetted by the Police and DSS, and must demonstrate knowledge of local forest reserves.
However, he lamented that the absence of federal recognition remains a major challenge. “Our morale and confidence are affected by the lack of constitutional backing. We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to assent to the NFSS Bill, already passed by both chambers of the National Assembly,” he said.
He emphasized that the NFSS is not designed to compete with existing security agencies but to complement them. “Just as past leaders created institutions like the NSCDC, DSS, and EFCC, President Tinubu has an opportunity to leave his mark by signing the NFSS Bill into law,” Osatimehin added.
Addressing the growing insecurity in Nigeria’s forest regions, he traced the situation to the post-Gaddafi era, when mercenaries dispersed across Africa and infiltrated Nigeria through porous forest borders.
He cited Kenya as an example of a country that successfully secured its forests through a similar specialized service. “Nigeria must take proactive steps to replicate that model if we are to reclaim our forests from criminal elements,” he said.
Osatimehin reaffirmed the NFSS’s commitment to national security, community collaboration, and environmental protection, saying: “Our mission is to make Nigeria’s forests safe, sustainable, and productive for the benefit of all.”
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