President Bola Tinubu has approved the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards to enhance security in Katsina State. Katsina Governor Dikko Radda announced the development on Wednesday following a meeting with Islamic clerics and other stakeholders at the Government House in Katsina. The engagement, according to Radda, was part of a broader strategy to address insecurity through community involvement and collaboration with key societal leaders. He stated that the forest guards would work alongside conventional security forces and existing community watch groups to disrupt criminal activities in forested areas, which have become hideouts for armed groups. Radda emphasized that intelligence gathered from investigations indicates that some local residents are complicit in criminal operations, providing logistics, intelligence, and serving as markets for stolen livestock. "Most of their supply chains, information networks and even the sale of stolen animals involve people living among us," Radda said. He urged religious leaders to help sensitize communities and promote moral responsibility in the fight against crime. The governor described Islamic clerics as essential allies in mobilizing public support and fostering a culture of accountability. He reiterated that security cannot be achieved by law enforcement alone, calling for collective action across all levels of society. The recruitment process will be conducted in phases, with training and deployment expected to begin shortly.
The approval of 1,000 forest guards follows confirmation that local networks are actively supporting criminal elements in Katsina. This reveals a security strategy now dependent on both military expansion and community surveillance to counter internal complicity. If residents are already embedded in criminal supply chains, the success of the new guards will hinge on intelligence from the same communities they are meant to police. Trust, not just manpower, is the real challenge.
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