By Moses Okorie
The case of insecurity in Nigeria today has become a source of serious concern to citizens. Though, security threat is not limited to Nigeria, but the level of terrorism, banditry and kidnapping is taking on our toes. The federal government under President Bola Tinubu has been looking for solution to this menace, but seems not to understand what it needs to do in order to curtail the activities of these enemies of the nation.
Many people have recommended the use of already-made security outfit that can take immediate action instead of paying lip-service. The bill to establish an agency, Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS), which was hitherto known as Nigeria Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) is said to have passed second-reading on the floor of the National Assembly and currently awaiting presidential assent. And instead of the president’s signature, which will make NFSS one of the statutory security organizations, the government is rather looking the other way round.
Investigations reveal that Nigeria’s total landmass covers 92 million hectares. The forested corridor is about 9.1 million hectares; meaning, if we divide the entire Nigeria into nine, one-over-nine is forested. Nigeria has 1,129 forest reserves, 29 game reserves, 17 national parks, 470 grazing reserves located across the forest corridor and have because safe haven for criminal elements.
What Nigeria needs today is for Mr. President to assent to a bill on his table that was passed by the two houses of National Assembly. If that is done, it will motivate NFSS to take the battle to the forest and dislodge the common criminals. It has been said at different fora that most of the criminal in Nigeria today are not Nigerians. They are part of the machinery that worked for the former president of Libya, Muammar Gaddafi. These are the machinery that have worked with him and are the ones scattered all over the West Africa and Nigeria inclusive.
If government empowers NFSS today by signing the bill into law, obviously they will do wonders especially by supporting council authority on the issue of intelligent gathering and inter-agency collaboration to make sure that all these criminals are fished out of their hideout to face justice, and Nigerians go to bed with their two eyes closed.
NFSS has established its presence in all the states of the federation including FCT; men and women, young boys and girls that have been trained in weapon handling and have made several arrests of bandits and criminal elements across Nigeria, and it is common sense that since these people are making serious impact in forest security, obviously they would do better when they are backed by the law, and are adequately remunerated.
Our forests are porous as most of the criminals hit in the city and run into the forest, especially Sambisa Forest, which has become so notorious for Boko Haram, and if the forest security is deployed across Nigerian bushes, it would be too hot for the criminals to operate with such impunity. We can say for now that we have some level of security within our cities, but what we need now is forest security, and if NFSS with its presence across Nigeria could be mandated to move into the bushes and apprehend the men of the underworld, it would mean that the federal government has finally found way-out of the security challenges bedeviling our country.
Recently, President Bola Tinubu ordered the withdrawal of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force from giving security to VIPs, and said that instead the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) should do that. He said this will make more policemen available on the streets to provide security to the common man. The question now is, what if former President Olusegun Obasanjo had not signed the bill establishing NSCDC, which agency would President Tinubu use today?
The best time to sign NFSS bill into law is now. Nigeria is in a serious security mess. Imagine the return of kidnapping in our schools as witnessed in Kebbi and Niger states; similar to the Chibok and Dapchi girls’ scenario. If the NFSS is deployed to the forests, where would the bandits take the students and pupils to? But because the forest has been made so conducive for them, they now carry out their nefarious activities and flee into the bushes.
Founded in 2016, it operates in many states. Its officers have worked alongside the police, military, NSCDC, and the Office of the National Security Adviser in critical areas. The Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) was officially renamed to the Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) in late 2024. Its Commander General is Dr. Wole Joshua Osatimehin.