Security Expert Warns Against Deploying Forest Guards to Warfronts in Sokoto

By Shafa’atu Suleiman, Sokoto

Colonel Ahmed Usman (rtd) Raises Concerns Over Proposed Recruitment

The Special Adviser to the Sokoto State Governor on Security, Colonel Ahmed Usman (rtd), has issued a strong warning against plans to recruit and deploy forest guards for counterinsurgency operations in the state. He cautioned that such a move could exacerbate Nigeria’s already fragile security situation.

Mismatch Between Roles and Responsibilities

While acknowledging the important role forest guards play in protecting Nigeria’s forests, wildlife, and natural resources, Col. Usman emphasized that their core responsibilities are fundamentally different from the demands of high-risk security operations.

According to the security expert, forest guards are primarily trained for environmental protection duties including combating illegal logging and preventing poaching. While they may receive basic security training, they lack the specialized structure, equipment, and preparation required for frontline combat or counterterrorism missions.

Potential Security Risks

Col. Usman stressed that counterterrorism operations should remain the exclusive domain of properly trained security agencies such as the police, military, and specialized forces. He warned that deploying undertrained forest guards to volatile conflict zones would create vulnerabilities in the nation’s security framework while exposing the guards to unnecessary danger.

“Without a clear mandate and proper training, sending forest guards into conflict-prone areas may result in chaos and confusion, compounding our security challenges rather than resolving them,” he cautioned.

Advocating for Community-Based Solutions

Instead of this proposed approach, the security adviser recommended a community-driven security strategy that focuses on grassroots engagement, local intelligence gathering, and trust-building initiatives to address the root causes of insecurity.

He explained that collaborative efforts with local communities would prove more effective in threat mitigation while avoiding the creation of additional vulnerabilities in an already overburdened security system.

For more details, read the original article on The Sun.