By Bashir Bello
The Deputy Commander-General of Nigerian Hunter and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) Joshua Wole, has advocated that NHFSS be converted into a National Security Service, Nigeria Forest Guard Services (NFGS) in order to safeguard ungoverned territories for sustainable economic development of the nation.
According to a statement over the weekend, Wole stated that this will serve as a potent solution to kidnapping, banditry and other crimes perpetuated through forests, bushes and related ungoverned territories in Nigeria.
Wole added that apart from many other losses to Nigeria too numerous to count, 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 kidnaping, 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.
Wole commended the Federal Government of Nigeria for the efforts committed to add greater impetus to the fight against insecurity in Nigeria, especially considering Government’s moves to establish new Security Agencies in the country refering on the heels of a 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.
