The Federal Government has vowed to flush out terrorists and criminal elements from Nigeria’s forests, insisting that there will be no safe haven for insecurity anywhere in the country.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja during an end-of-the-year press briefing, where he addressed the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to tackle insecurity nationwide.
According to Idris, the fight against terrorism and banditry will intensify in 2025 following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide security emergency.
He said the declaration would, in the coming months, lead to massive recruitment into the Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force, alongside the deployment of specially trained and well-equipped forest guards.
“The presidential declaration of a nationwide security emergency will translate into large-scale recruitment and the deployment of forest guards to secure our forests and other vulnerable locations,” the minister stated.
Idris noted that for years, Nigeria’s forests had remained largely unmanned, allowing criminal groups to establish hideouts and operate freely.
“What we used to have in the past were dark forces within our forests, which were largely unmanned and had become safe havens for terrorists and bandits,” he said.
He assured Nigerians that with the new security strategy and increased manpower, criminal elements would no longer find refuge in the nation’s forests.
“With this recruitment and the declaration by Mr President, there will be no hiding place for terrorists and criminals in our forests,” Idris added.
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