NSA Hails FG-Kaduna Security Partnership, Seeks Expansion

The National Security Adviser (NSA), Malam Nuhu Ribadu, has said the collaboration between the Federal Government and the Kaduna State Government is yielding significant progress in tackling insecurity across the state.

Represented by the Director of Internal Security at the Office of the National Security Adviser, Malam Sani Sani, Ribadu made the remarks on Saturday during the graduation ceremony of the pioneer batch of Armed Forest Guards in Kaduna.
He praised the Kaduna State Government for the quality of training provided to the recruits, describing it as the best conducted in the country based on evaluations carried out nationwide.
According to him, the Office of the National Security Adviser would readily consider future requests from Kaduna State to expand the programme if the state government decides to recruit more personnel.
Ribadu disclosed that more than 1,000 Armed Forest Guards received intensive training in weapons handling, physical fitness, combat readiness, community relations, civil-military cooperation, inter-agency coordination, and adherence to the rule of law.
He explained that the graduates would return to their communities as first responders, helping to strengthen local resilience against criminal activities before the arrival of conventional security agencies.
The NSA recalled that President Bola Tinubu launched the Armed Forest Guard initiative on May 24, 2025, to train indigenous residents to secure forests, protect biodiversity, safeguard watersheds, and deny criminal groups safe havens in ungoverned areas. He added that the President mandated the Office of the National Security Adviser to provide strategic leadership and coordinate the training programme nationwide.
Speaking at the event, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani thanked the NSA for his support and welcomed the recognition of Kaduna’s training programme as the best in the country.
The governor revealed that the state had formally requested approval to recruit and train an additional 1,000 Armed Forest Guards, stressing that security remains a top priority of his administration.
Sani said insecurity has reduced considerably across several parts of Kaduna since he assumed office in 2023, enabling residents to travel to areas that were previously inaccessible without police escorts.
He noted that local government areas such as Birnin Gwari, Giwa and Kachia, once among the worst affected by insecurity, have recorded significant improvements through sustained collaboration between the Kaduna State Government and the Federal Government.
The governor expressed confidence that the request for another 1,000 Forest Guards would receive the approval of the National Security Adviser and President Tinubu, reaffirming his administration’s commitment to working with stakeholders to build a safer and more prosperous Kaduna State.