MEMBERS OF NATIONAL HUNTERS AND FOREST SECURITY DITCH FOR THE FOREST GUARD INITIATIVE скачать в хорошем качестве

MEMBERS OF NATIONAL HUNTERS AND FOREST SECURITY DITCH FOR THE FOREST GUARD INITIATIVE

FG Begins Forest Guard Recruitment, Vigilante Groups Left Out The Federal Government has commenced the recruitment and deployment of Forest Guards under the Presidential Forest Guards Initiative, aimed at tackling banditry, kidnapping and other crimes in Nigeria’s forested areas. Over 7,000 trained forest guards have reportedly been deployed to insecurity hotspots nationwide. The initiative, coordinated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment and other security agencies, prioritises the recruitment of locals to strengthen intelligence gathering and community engagement. However, several existing vigilante and community-based security groups have not been integrated into the new federal framework. These include regional outfits such as Amotekun in the South-West, Ebube Agu in the South-East, Yan Sakai groups in the North-West, the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) in the North-East, and the Hunter Group of Nigeria, which operates across many rural and forest communities. Security analysts cite legal, constitutional, and human rights concerns, as well as issues of command and control, as reasons for excluding these groups from the federal Forest Guard structure. The Federal Government says the Forest Guard initiative is designed to complement existing security agencies through improved forest surveillance and intelligence, as debates continue over the role of vigilante groups in Nigeria’s security architecture.