The Nigerian Forest Security Service (NFSS) has formally requested collaboration with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to combat corruption and financial crimes. NFSS Commander-General Adewole Joshua Osatimehin led a delegation to the EFCC headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, on Thursday, where he met with EFCC Executive Chairman Ola Olukoyede. Osatimehin praised Olukoyede's leadership, citing the prosecution of high-profile individuals as a key reason for seeking partnership. He noted that the NFSS maintains a grassroots network across Nigeria, with village intelligence officers in every state, including Zamfara and Sokoto, which could aid EFCC operations.
Osatimehin proposed that NFSS personnel, including finance officers and zonal commanders, receive investigative training at EFCC facilities to strengthen inter-agency operations. He highlighted Nigeria's ecological assets, stating the country has 1,129 forest reserves, 29 game reserves, 17 national parks, and 417 grazing reserves across 9.1 million forested hectares. Olukoyede welcomed the proposal, acknowledging that forests have become hideouts for bandits and illegal miners, many of whom fall under EFCC's investigative scope. He confirmed the EFCC's readiness to partner with any organisation whose mandate aligns with its anti-corruption mission and approved the NFSS training request.
The NFSS's push for collaboration reveals how deeply criminal networks are embedded in Nigeria's forest zones, with Commander-General Adewole Joshua Osatimehin himself confirming these areas as operational bases for bandits and illegal miners. Given that the EFCC has already arrested large numbers of illegal miners, pairing their financial investigation expertise with NFSS's on-ground presence could disrupt funding streams for forest-based crime. This partnership, if implemented beyond symbolism, may improve intelligence sharing and interdiction in remote regions long neglected by federal agencies. Olukoyede's swift approval of training for NFSS personnel suggests the EFCC sees tactical value, not just goodwill, in the alliance.
