The Deputy Commander-General, Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) Mr Johnny Metchie, has called on the federal government to convert hunters to National Forest Guard Services (NFGS) in order to safeguard the vast forest and territories which have now become security threats in which criminals use to perpetrate crimes.
This was contained in a statement issued by the Deputy Commander General, Mr Johnny Metchie and made available to newsmen in Kaduna on Monday.
He stated that this will also serve as a potent solution to kidnapping, banditry and other crimes perpetuated through forests, bushes and related ungoverned territories in Nigeria.
Metchie added that apart from many other losses, “each time people are kidnapped and taken into the bushes, the nation continues to lose billions of naira and Forex from possible 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.
DCG Metchie commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for the efforts committed to add greater impetus to the fight against insecurity in Nigeria, especially considering the Government’s moves to establish new Security Agencies in the country referring to the 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.
The deputy commander General noted that more hands must be deployed to tackle the insecurity bedeviling the country.
“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 hunters want to fill,” he said.
According to him, the Nigeria Forest Guards Services which Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) is transitioning into, is the missing link, gap and lacuna in 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.
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