Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has inaugurated 1,000 Armed Forest Guards to strengthen the state’s security architecture and enhance efforts to combat terrorism, banditry and other criminal activities.
The personnel completed specialised training under a partnership involving the Kaduna State Government, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the Department of State Services (DSS). Their passing-out parade was held at the DSS Development Centre in Afaka, Kaduna.
Governor Sani said the Armed Forest Guards would serve as first responders in their respective communities, working alongside conventional security agencies to improve surveillance, intelligence gathering and rapid response to security threats.
According to him, the guards were selected from the existing 7,000 personnel of the Kaduna Vigilance Service (KADVS) and underwent specialised training to enhance their operational capacity.
He explained that under the approved rules of engagement, the newly trained personnel would be equipped with higher-grade firearms than those currently used by KADVS, enabling them to confront terrorists and other criminal elements more effectively.
The governor added that deploying the guards to their communities would strengthen intelligence gathering, as their familiarity with the local terrain would enable them to identify threats promptly and support security operations.
Sani disclosed that the representative of the National Security Adviser commended Kaduna State for taking the lead in partnering with the Federal Government to establish and train Armed Forest Guards, describing the state’s training programme as the most successful of its kind in the country.
He expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Office of the National Security Adviser and the nation’s security agencies for their collaboration in strengthening security in Kaduna State.
Building on the success of the programme, the governor revealed that he had requested the training of an additional 1,000 Armed Forest Guards to further reinforce the state’s security framework.
Governor Sani congratulated the pioneer graduating class and assured residents that his administration would continue to invest in intelligence-driven security initiatives aimed at protecting lives and property and sustaining peace across Kaduna State.