Kaduna State and Federal Government Team Up to Fight Insecurity

The National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, said the partnership between the Federal Government and Kaduna State Government is key to fighting insecurity. He made this statement during the graduation of the first group of Armed Forest Guards. He was represented by Sani Sani, the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser, on Saturday.

Mr Ribadu praised the training of the Armed Forest Guards. He mentioned, "From the evaluation that we carried out across the country, the training in Kaduna State has been recorded as the best at the moment."

He added, "The Office of the National Security Adviser will not have any doubt to grant another request to Kaduna State, to continue this kind of training if the Governor wishes to do so."

The NSA explained that over 1000 Forest Guards received thorough training. This training covered weapons handling, physical fitness, battle readiness, and building good relationships with local communities. They also learned about civil-military cooperation and the rule of law.

He clarified, "The beneficiaries of this training are expected to go back to their respective communities and establish a first line community resilience, to resist every invading enemy of the state as first responders, before the arrival of various security agencies."

Mr Ribadu recalled that President Bola Tinubu announced the Armed Forest Guard initiative on May 24, 2025. The goal was to train local people to protect areas that lack government presence, especially forests, and to safeguard biodiversity and wildlife.

He stated that the Armed Forest Guards will create a security setup to control the forests and stop criminals from operating in those areas. The president instructed the Office of the National Security Adviser to lead this effort and manage training across the country.

In his speech, Governor Uba Sani thanked the NSA for support and stated that he is proud of the training in Kaduna State. He said, "I also want to use this opportunity to formally make an additional request of another 1000 Forest Guards in Kaduna. In our state, security is one of the most important agendas of our government."

He shared that many local governments were unsafe when he took office in 2023. He noted, "But people can now go to such local governments without police escorts. And that, in my opinion, is progress."

The governor highlighted that areas like Birnin Gwari, Giwa, and Kachia faced serious security issues before, but things have improved. He said, "Today, because of our collaboration with the Federal Government and the support of our leader, President Bola Tinubu, we have been able to address most of the problems of insecurity in those frontline local governments."

Governor Uba Sani expressed confidence in getting approval for his request of 1000 more Forest Guards. He promised that with the help of God and all stakeholders, "we shall continue to build a Kaduna State that is peaceful, strong and prosperous for generations to come."