By Moses Okorie
The FCT Commander of the Nigerian Forest Security Service, NFSS, Mr. Bawa Kyauta, has pleaded with the minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Barrister Nyesom Wike to carry them along in order to ensure adequate security of all the forest area within Abuja.
Speaking through the State Administrator, FCT Command of NFSS, Professor Kuku Reuben, Kyauta made the passionate appeal on Tuesday, when he spoke with some newsmen in his office located at AMAC Secretariat Extension, Apo, Abuja, where he decried lack of support by political officeholders, despite several attempts.
“We have tried severally to see the FCT minister, all to no avail. We believe if the government in FCT gives us the needed support, criminalities would not be found anywhere in Abuja.
“Most of the supports we have enjoyed so far is from the community leaders, because the government in question has not really come up for us. We don’t know why it has to be so.
“We have reached out to political leaders like the Area Council chairmen, but we don’t see them coming forth. It is the community leaders, in their little ways, that are giving us support, and that has helped our men to an extent in achieving some of the successes so far”.
NFSS said since their coming onboard in FCT, there is a very big improvement in security matter, because there was a time that bad guys were everywhere, but their men have been able to intercept some bandits and handed them over to the police for prosecution.
He mentioned some of the flash points to include Bwari, Gwagwala, Mpape, Kwali and Abaji axis, but NFSS has done a lot of work, and the rising insecurity has drastically reduced.
On the collaborative efforts with other sister agencies, he said: “Our relationship with other sister agencies is very cordial. The Nigerian Army, police, DSS, NIA, NDLEA, NSCDC and others, we have been having good time with them and we have been trained by them, because ours is intelligence gathering.
On the recent presidential order to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the NFSS boss said, “When Godswill Akpabio was passing our bill, he made mention of NFSS Forest Guards, the president gave an order for the establishment of Nigerian Forest Guard, and if you look at it, we are the people trained and we are specialists in forests security.
“We cannot pick a university graduate who has no knowledge of the forest to go and secure the forest, because six months is not enough to train him”, he added.
“To wait for recruitment to get that done, by that time insecurity might have overwhelmed the nation. I want to believe that Mr. President meant us. It is Nigerian Forest Security Service that fits into the services as forest guards.