The Deputy Commander-General Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS), Ambassador Johnny Metchie, has advocated the conversion of NHFSS to Nigeria Forest Guard Services (NFGS) in order to safeguard ungoverned territories for sustainable economic development of the nation.
Metchie in a statement issued to Blueprint Monday stated that this will serve as a potent solution to kidnapping, banditry and other crimes perpetuated through forests, bushes and related ungoverned territories in Nigeria.
Metchie said, apart from many other losses to Nigeria too numerous to count, each time people are kidnapped and taken into the bushes, the nation continues to lose billions of naira and Forex from possible foreign direct investment (FDI) due to bad image and negative reputation caused by kidnapping, banditry, separatism, extremism and related crimes.
He decried a situation where insecurity that has become rampant in Nigeria due to the unmanned, ungoverned territories has led to many companies leaving the country; and stressed that Nigeria cannot afford not to have Forest Guard at this critical time.
He commended the federal government for the efforts to fight against insecurity in Nigeria, especially considering moves to establish new security agencies, referring to a recent statement credited to Dr. Ahmed Abubakar Audi, Commandant-General of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC) at the public hearing on the Bill to establish the Nigeria Mines Ranger Service in Abuja.
“We should not sacrifice our motivation and opportunities to bring more hands on the deck and to work to curb insecurity in Nigeria at the altar of personal interest and material gains.
“Opinion leaders have long identified the major challenges in combating insecurity in Nigeria, which is the huge ungoverned territories, which are mostly in the forests, bushes, deserts, as well as in creeks, swampy areas and other difficult terrains that are unmanned due to inadequate capacity. This is the capacity and gap we as Forest Guards want to fill,” Metchie said.
According to DCG Metchie, Nigeria Forest Guards Services, which Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) is transitioning into, is the missing link, gap and lacuna in the Nigeria’s security architecture, which unless incorporated into national security, the challenges will continue to ache Nigeria because of the security vulnerability in bushes, forests and other ungoverned areas.
