By Redzie JUGO

PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu’s recent approval for the establishment of a national forest guard system marks a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s ongoing struggle against pervasive insecurity.  

As a legal practitioner deeply concerned with the rule of law and the protection of fundamental rights, particularly in regions like the Middle Belt that have borne the brunt of this crisis, I view this initiative through a lens of legal and policy implications.

This article aims to provide a streamlined analysis of the policy, focusing on its legal underpinnings, potentialpitfalls, and its critical intersection with existing legal frameworks, most notably the Firearms Act.

The policy in brief: a legal mandate for forest security

The forest guard initiative, as approved by the President, seeks to deploy over 130,000 armed operatives across Nigeria’s 1,129 forest reserves. These reserves, tragically, have become operational bases forterrorists, bandits, and kidnappers. The policy’s core legal premise rests on a collaborative security effort between the federal and state governments, with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Ministry of Environment tasked with its supervision. The intent is clear: to formalise and empower a dedicated force to reclaim these ungoverned and criminally governed spaces and restore law and order.

Legal and policy considerations: navigating the complexities

While the strategic intent of the forest guard policy is commendable, its implementation presents several critical legal and policy considerations:

1. Potential for enhanced law enforcement: From a legal standpoint, the formal establishment of armed forest guards provides a much-needed legal framework for security operations within forest environments. This can legitimise actions against criminal elements in areas previously lacking adequate law enforcement presence, potentially improving the state’s capacity to fulfill its constitutional duty to protect lives and property.

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2. Jurisdictional overlap and accountability: A significant legal challenge lies in defining the precise jurisdictional boundaries and operational mandates of these new guards in relation to existing security agencies such as the Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Without clear legal delineation, there is a substantial risk of jurisdictional conflicts, operational inefficiencies, and, more critically, ambiguities in accountability when incidents occur. The chain of command and legal responsibility for actions taken by armed guards must be unequivocally established to prevent impunity.
3. Rules of engagement and human rights: Arming a new security force necessitates the immediate development and strict enforcement of clear, legally sound rules of engagement. These rules must be in strict compliance with national laws and international human rights standards, particularly concerning the use of force. Training must go beyond basic paramilitary skills to include comprehensive modules on human rights, due process, and the legal consequences of abuses. Failure to do so risks exacerbating human rights concerns and undermining the policy’s legitimacy.

The Middle Belt imperative: a call for legal and political will

As a voice from the Middle Belt, I must underscore the profound legal and humanitarian implications o fthe protracted insecurity in our region. The continuous failure to secure our communities from armed groupsoperating from forest hideouts represents a grave dereliction of the state’s primary constitutional duty toprotect its citizens. The forest guard policy, therefore, is not merely a security measure for the MiddleBelt; it is a legal and moral imperative.

Our governors and political leaders in the Middle Belt bear a significant responsibility. While the federal government has provided the policy framework, the onus is on state leadership to demonstrate the political and legal will for its immediate and intensified implementation. This includes:

• Expediting legal and administrative processes: Fast-tracking the necessary state-level legal and administrative frameworks for recruitment, training, and deployment, ensuring compliance with all relevant
• Ensuring adequate resourcing: Legally committing state resources for the adequate funding and equipping of these guards, recognising the unique and challenging terrain of our forests.
• Fostering inter-state legal cooperation: Establishing robust legal frameworks for inter-state collaboration and intelligence sharing, as criminals exploit jurisdictional boundaries. This requires formal agreements and protocols between states.

International best practices: integrating legal safeguards

Drawing from international best practices in forest security and combating armed groups, it is evident that effective armed forest protection units operate within stringent legal and ethical frameworks. Examples from other regions demonstrate the importance of:

• Clear legal mandates and oversight: Units like armed park rangers in parts of Africa, who confront well-armed poachers and even insurgent groups, operate under clear legal mandates that define their powers, responsibilities, and limitations. Crucially, they are subject to robust oversightmechanisms to ensure accountability [4, 5].
• Human rights compliant training: International standards emphasize training that integrates human rights principles into all aspects of law enforcement, particularly the use of Thisensures that security operations, while effective, do not violate the rights of citizens.
• Multi-agency legal frameworks: Successful international models often involve legally defined collaborative frameworks between forest security, military, police, and intelligenceagencies, ensuring seamless information flow and coordinated legal responses to threats.

Nigeria’s forest guard policy must integrate these legal safeguards. This means not just arming the guards, but legally empowering them within a framework that ensures discipline, accountability, and respect for human rights.

The Firearms Act and Forest Guards: a necessary reassessment

The effectiveness of the proposed armed forest guards is inextricably linked to Nigeria’s current Firearms Act (Cap F28 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004). As I argued in my previous article, “Assessing Nigeria’s firearms laws: A path to security in Plateau and beyond” [6], this Act, despite itstheoretical provisions for civilian ownership, has practically disarmed law-abiding citizens through itsrestrictive, opaque, and often biased implementation. This has created a dangerous power asymmetry,where criminal elements freely wield military-grade weapons while legitimate security actors, includingpotential forest guards, may face legal and practical hurdles in acquiring adequate defensive capabilities.

For the forest guard initiative to succeed, it necessitates a comprehensive reassessment of the FirearmsAct. This is not a call for indiscriminate arms proliferation, but for a targeted legal reform that:

• Streamlines armament for state-sanctioned Security: Creates a clear, efficient, and legally sound process for state-sanctioned security outfits like the forest guards to acquire and possess appropriate firearms necessary for their mandate. This must bypass the bureaucratic and discretionary hurdles that have plagued civilian
• Ensures parity in firepower: Recognises the grim reality that forest guards will confront heavilyarmed The legal framework must allow for equipping these guards with weaponry thatenables them to effectively counter the threat, rather than being outgunned.
• Provides legal protection and accountability: Defines the legal parameters for the use of firearms by forest guards, ensuring they are protected when acting within their mandate,while simultaneously establishing stringent accountability mechanisms for any misuse or abuse oftheir powers.

Without such a legal overhaul, the forest guard policy risks being undermined by an outdated and impracticallegal framework. The current Act, designed for a different era, is ill-suited to the contemporarysecurity challenges Nigeria faces. Empowering the forest guards legally, through a reformed Firearms Act, is as crucial as their physical training and armament.

Conclusion

The forest guard initiative holds significant promise for reclaiming Nigeria’s ungoverned and criminallygoverned forest spaces and restoring security, particularly in the beleaguered Middle Belt.

However, its success hinges not just on recruitment and training, but on a meticulous attention to its legal and policy implications. Clear mandates, robust accountability mechanisms, and strict adherence to human rightsare paramount.

Crucially, the policy serves as a powerful catalyst for a long-overdue reassessment of Nigeria’s Firearms Act.

As a lawyer, I contend that aligning our legal frameworks with the urgent realities of our security landscape is not merely an option, but a fundamental prerequisite for achieving lasting peace andstability. The time for decisive legal and political action is now.

References

• “Proposed forest guards: Experts, stakeholders laud, flay initiative.” The Sun, May 27, https://thesun.ng/proposed-forest-guards-experts-stakeholders-laud-flay- initiative/
• “Rising insecurity: Tinubu, govs to deploy 130,000 new forest guards ” Punch, May 15, 2025. https://punchng.com/rising-insecurity-tinubu-govs-to- deploy-130000-new-forest-guards-nationwide/

• “Nigeria Forest Guards Recruitment 2025/2026.” Researchaffairs, May 15, https://researchaffairs.com.ng/2025/05/15/nigeria-forest-guards-recruitment-2025-2026/

• “International Cooperation | US Forest Service – ” https://www.fs.usda.gov/ managing-land/international-cooperation
• “Trained to stop poaching, Benin park rangers instead face jihadists.” Mongabay, August 22, https://news.mongabay.com/2024/08/trained-to-stop-poaching-benin- park-rangers-instead-face-jihadists/
• Jugo, Redzie. “Assessing Nigeria’s firearms laws: A path to security in Plateau and beyond.” TheCable,April 18, https://www.thecable.ng/assessing-nigerias-firearms- laws-a-path-to-security-in-plateau-and-beyond/