Nigeria Needs a National Guard, Not Forest Guards
- Oludare Ogunlana
- Nov 24
- 4 min read
Nigeria is facing one of the most severe security breakdowns in its modern history. Entire regions live under constant fear of kidnapping gangs, extremist groups, armed militias, and violent bandits. The Nigerian military is deployed across nearly all states, stretched beyond its limits by duties that no national army should carry indefinitely. The police are overburdened, underfunded, and largely unable to respond to the scale and speed of today’s violent threats.
In recent months, the federal government has introduced a new initiative. More than one hundred thousand forest guards will be deployed across the country’s reserves and protected lands. The goal is to flush out criminals who use forests as bases to terrorize communities. This program marks a shift from relying on informal hunters and vigilantes. Yet it remains a tactical response to a systemic problem. Nigeria needs more than forest guards. Nigeria needs a National Guard.
This distinction is not symbolic. It goes to the heart of the country’s security failures.
Forest Guards Are a Tactical Fix. Nigeria’s Crisis Is Structural.
Nigeria’s forests have long provided sanctuary to armed groups who launch attacks, kidnap commuters, destroy farmlands, and retreat into the woods before security forces arrive. Deploying forest guards may help close some of these gaps. It may deter criminal camps and offer some reassurance to rural communities.
But the danger runs deeper. Nigeria suffers from a highly centralized security system that concentrates authority in Abuja. Governors who are constitutionally described as “Chief Security Officers” have no legal control over federal forces. Reinforcements must be approved from the capital. Even in moments of terror, a governor’s hands are tied.
Violence erupts in minutes, not hours. Yet decision-making is slowed by bureaucracy, political delay, and limited federal capacity. The result is a repeated and predictable failure to protect citizens.
Forest guards do not fix this. They only create one more unit in an already crowded field of police, military formations, regional outfits, and vigilante groups. Without a broader structural redesign, forest guards risk becoming another isolated program that operates without cohesion or clear national integration.
Why a National Guard Is the Model Nigeria Needs
A National Guard is not merely another unit. It is a new architecture. In the United States, the National Guard operates under both state and federal authority. Governors can deploy Guard units immediately during emergencies. The federal government can activate them for national missions. This dual structure strengthens local response while preserving national unity.
A Nigerian National Guard would bring the same advantages, adapted to local realities.
It would be rooted in the states but governed by national standards. Guard units would be composed of residents who understand local languages, terrain, and conflict dynamics. Abuja would maintain oversight and accreditation to ensure professionalism and prevent politicization.
It would respond rapidly to crises. Governors would have immediate access to trained forces they can deploy without waiting for federal approval.
It would ease the pressure on the military. The armed forces have spent more than a decade fighting internal threats. A National Guard would take on domestic duties while the military refocuses on external defense and regional obligations.
It would restore confidence in the state. Locally integrated forces tend to earn higher trust and gather better intelligence. They would be closer to the communities they protect and more accountable for their conduct.
Forest guards may help secure Nigeria’s forests. A National Guard would help secure its future.
What Nigeria Must Avoid
Nigeria has experimented with state and regional security outfits such as Amotekun, Ebube Agu, and multiple vigilante groups across the north. These forces emerged because federal structures could not keep citizens safe. But they face recurring challenges: unclear legal authority, inconsistent training, inadequate funding, and conflict with federal agencies.
If forest guards are not integrated into a broader national system, they will face the same fate.
Nigeria cannot solve a national crisis with piecemeal solutions. What is needed is an institution designed for the complexity of a federal republic, not another isolated program.
What a Nigerian National Guard Should Look Like
A credible National Guard must include:
Constitutional recognition and a clear legal framework
Joint federal and state command based on defined responsibilities
National recruitment and training standards
An independent oversight body that includes federal, state, judicial, and civilian representatives
Transparent funding that prevents political manipulation
Strict penalties for misuse of Guard forces
Under this structure, forest guards could become specialized wildlife and terrain units within state Guard commands instead of standing alone.
A Moment for Strategic Courage
Nigeria’s insecurity is not a temporary emergency. It is a systemic failure that demands systemic reform. The Forest Guards Initiative acknowledges part of the problem, but it does not address the core issue. Nigeria needs a decentralized, accountable, properly integrated security institution that aligns with the country’s federal character.
A National Guard would represent a modernization of Nigeria’s security architecture. It would give governors real capacity to protect their states, while ensuring federal oversight and national coherence. It would move the nation away from improvisation and toward a sustainable, credible system of protection.
Forest guards may help secure the forests. Only the National Guard can help ensure the nation.
About the Author
Dr. Oludare. Ogunlana is a security scholar and practitioner who writes on national security, governance reform, and strategic stability. He focuses on practical solutions to strengthen institutions and protect vulnerable communities.
Comments