NFSS Birthed To Eliminate Banditry In Forests – Cmmdt Osatimehin

Dr Joshua Osatimehin is the Commandant General of the Nigerian Forest Security Service. In this interview with Chinedu Aroh of THE WHISTLER, he explains the capacity of the organisation in eliminating banditry and kidnapping by securing the country’s forests and bushes.

Excerpts.

What void has NFSS come to address in Nigeria’s current security challenges?
The initiation of NFSS is primarily to complement the efforts of the police, the military, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the immigration, and other security agencies in making Nigeria crime-free. NFSS is especially concerned with the nation’s forests, knowing full well that our forests are porous and are not specifically manned by specific security organisations. We, coming on board, will operate in synergy with these agencies and within the ambit of the law. We have already identified the missing link, and we are set to cover the vacuum. We want to play our roles in national security through the coordination of local intelligence. The operatives of the organisation are drawn from local civilians.

What is the status of this agency in terms of recognition?
It is still voluntary, though it is about to be incorporated into the national security architecture since President Bola Tinubu has given his approval for the formation of forest guards in Nigeria. We are known as the Nigeria Forest Security Service. The process of its incorporation has reached an advanced stage.

Tell us about its outreach.
We are spread across the 774 local government areas in Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory. We recruited our operatives through the traditional institutions in all the LGAs of the federation. The police and the DSS were also involved before the forms of these operatives were signed prior to their being engaged by our organisation. In terms of personnel, we have over 38,000 personnel across the federation, and the number is still ongoing. We still accept more volunteers to be able to cover the Nigerian landscape. Nigeria is a vast country. We target 3,000 personnel per state as soon as possible.

How technically equipped are the NFSS operatives?
Our operatives are trained by different security agencies in Nigeria. We have been trained by the Nigeria Police on managing insecurity and security challenges from the grassroots. We have been trained by the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps. We were also trained by the Department of State Services on intelligence gathering.

What challenges are you confronted with?
One of them is that we are still voluntary. We want to be formalised as soon as possible. Again, we have limited resources in terms of logistics, including motorcycles, to navigate some forest terrains. We still need remuneration for our men as well. They require some monthly stipends to motivate them at this level of their sacrifices.

Can this agency solve Nigeria’s insecurity, especially in areas of kidnapping, farmer-herders’ clashes and banditry?

Activities of Boko Haram insurgents, kidnappers, herders and some armed robbers take place in forests and bushes. If our men are deployed in forests, it will drastically reduce crimes perpetrated in forests. We came to solve an already identified nagging problem. Nigeria urgently needs forest guards to face its emerging security dynamics.

What assurance do you give to your operatives that upon the approval of the agency by the president, they would not be short-changed?

All our men are super because they have been trained. Any volunteer should not entertain any such fear. We still need more volunteers, so the ones already recruited are very vital as ambassadors of securing Nigerian forests and bushes. No one will take the position of the existing ones. However, anybody who goes against the rules of the service or the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria would be made to face the full wrath of the law. We are working hand in hand with other security agencies. We abide by the rules and regulations of these agencies and the Federal Republic of Nigeria. In terms of training and ruggedness, our operatives have been exposed to the basic training to enable them to operate optimally. Our boys can stand the test of time.

Where did you borrow the NFSS initiative?
We have different countries with different security challenges. However, there are many countries of the world that have already established forest security. They might not be called forest guards. In Indonesia, it is forest marshals; in Canada, it is forest rangers; in Mexico, it is agro-rangers. It is almost everywhere. The treasure base of any country lies within its forests. If forests were not properly managed, their positive energies could be diverted to negative tendencies like kidnapping, armed robbery, and indeed banditry.

What assurance do you have that President Tinubu will sign the NFSS bill into law as soon as possible?

I appeal to Mr President to append his signature to the bill already on his table. I believe he will sign it because Mr President is a lover of security. He campaigned heavily for the security of Nigeria’s forests in the build-up to the 2023 general elections. He promised that he would do everything possible to ensure that our forests were properly secured. We are using this opportunity to appeal to Mr President to sign the bill to give us more confidence and also embolden our men that we have the support of the government. It will also boost the security of the country.

What is your message to state governors?
The state governors should support Mr President in terms of improving the security of lives and property in Nigeria. The governors, as the chief security of their respective states, should be more security conscious. It is wrong to leave the security task for the federal government alone. The government of Bauchi State has been paying for over 600 operatives of our agency in the past five years.

That of Borno State has been helpful in terms of logistics. It has paid N60,000 to each of our 1,000 serving in the state since 2019. The governor of Kogi State is paying 1,050 of our members every month. The Lagos State government has also been paying over 600 members since February this year. Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has also started. We appeal to other state governors to emulate the aforementioned state governors. Mr President cannot do it alone. There must be concerted efforts from all critical stakeholders in the country.

Tell us about your presence in the South-East region of Nigeria
The Governor of Ebonyi State, Mr Ogbonna Nwifuru, recruited approximately 2,600 of our members two years ago to serve in the state. We are appealing to other governors of the South East to emulate Gov. Ogbonna Nwifuru.
How will this impact Nigerian youths?
We are appealing to Nigerian youths to use their energy to engage in positive productivity for the country. I encourage them to be enlisted in this organisation. Those already enlisted should remain focused, committed, and always abide by the rules of Nigeria for grassroots transformation and the economic well-being of our country.

NFSS Birthed To Eliminate Banditry In Forests – Cmmdt Osatimehin is first published on The Whistler Newspaper