Inauguration of 942 Forest Guards Signals New Tactical Push Against Forest-Based Terror Networks
942 newly trained forest guards are set to be deployed to protect Nigeria’s vast ungoverned spaces.
This follows the completion of their training and graduation at the Maxwell Khobe Cantonment in the Bassa council area of Plateau State.
Nigeria’s Army Chief, Lt/General Waidi Shuaibu, has described them as the critical “first line of defence” in Nigeria’s ongoing war against forest-based criminal networks.
Their graduation incidentally took place in a region of Plateau State currently battling its own complex, deeply rooted security challenges.
Six Weeks of High-Intensity Tactical Training
The new guards just completed a grueling six-week intensive training programme designed to prepare them for the harsh realities of wilderness combat and surveillance. The Army Chief, who was represented by the General Officer Commanding 3 Division, Major General Maxwell Dangana, warned that they have to discharge their duties with professionalism and without violating the human rights of local rural residents.
Their training featured advanced physical fitness and endurance mapping, covert surveillance and intelligence gathering in dense terrain, and tactical weapons handling to counter heavily armed bandits and insurgents.
Reclaiming Nigeria’s Vulnerable Woodlands
Major General Maxwell Dangana highlighted the critical vulnerability of Nigeria’s natural resources. He expressed grave concern over how heavily forested areas have increasingly been weaponized by terrorists, bandits, and kidnappers as operational bases. “Our forests are valuable natural resources that require stringent protection,” Dangana stated.
The graduation drew praise from both military elite and state administrators. The Chief of Army Training, Major General Valentine Okoro, noted that the cross-state training collaboration sets a new benchmark for regional security synergy.
With their training complete, the 942 guards are deploying immediately to secure vulnerable woodland perimeters, disrupt criminal supply lines, and deny insurgents safe haven.
