By Uzo Amadi
In a landmark move to decentralize and strengthen security architecture across Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently authorized State Governments to establish armed and professionally trained Forest Guard Units.
This directive comes at a time when the nation continues to grapple with escalating insecurity particularly in rural and forested areas where banditry, kidnapping, and illegal activities have become rampant. The authorization offers a vital opportunity for States to take charge of their internal security, yet many State governments have yet to act decisively.
For years, Nigerians have cried out for improved security at the grassroots level. Community leaders, farmers’ associations, cultural associations, and civil society groups have repeatedly emphasized the need for not only localized intelligence but also for consequent swift response capabilities.
Our forests have become safe havens for criminals. From there, they launch attacks on highways, kidnap farmers, raid and pillage villages, kill and maim, and evade capture by exploiting the terrain’s inaccessibility. This forest-based insecurity affects food production, displaces communities, and undermines economic activities especially in agriculture and rural enterprise. With the rising price of food, loss of farmland, and migration away from rural areas, inaction will have long-term economic consequences.
Now that the Federal Government has provided the legal and institutional backing for State-led forest security outfits, it is imperative for Governors to move quickly and with seriousness. Their closeness to the people, and familiarity with the terrain and nature of threats, give them a strategic advantage in designing contextual security responses. The cost of not acting practically far outweighs the cost of setting up a forest guard unit.
Delay betrays a lack of political will and a disregard for the suffering of vulnerable populations. Sitting on the fence or blaming the Federal government for every insecurity action would have to be a thing of the past.
To ensure the forest guard initiative is not merely symbolic or politicized, State governments should speed up the passing of enabling laws by the State Houses of Assembly and put structures in place geared towards successful implementation of the initiative.
Security is the bedrock of development, and no State can hope to achieve economic progress or social stability without protecting its people and resources. The Federal Government has done its part by granting authorization, State governments must now rise to the challenge. Every day of delay allows criminal elements to entrench their networks and expand their reach. Governors must act boldly, swiftly, and decisively. The responsibility is not only constitutional—it is moral.
Insecurity cannot wait. Neither should the response.
*Uzo Amadi writes from Abuja and can be reached on uzocamadi@yahoo.com
