A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to approve the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for Borno State to tackle growing insecurity in the region.
Falana made the appeal in a statement on Monday, where he urged the Federal Government to take similar steps already implemented in Oyo State to address security challenges.
According to him, the President had recently approved the recruitment of forest guards in Oyo and also sent a high-powered delegation to the state following the abduction of pupils and teachers.
Falana said Borno deserves the same level of attention, especially given the number of people still in captivity.
“In view of the fact that not less than 415 abducted school children and other citizens are in the illegal custody of bandits and terrorists in unknown forests in Borno State, the President should also dispatch a high-powered federal delegation to visit the state in solidarity with the people,” he said.
He stressed that urgent action was needed to strengthen security in the North-East state.
“The President should equally approve the recruitment of 1,000 forest guards for the state without any further delay,” Falana added.
The senior lawyer also emphasised that the proposed forest guards must be properly trained and equipped to face armed groups.
“The forest guards must be well trained and fully equipped to confront the bandits and terrorists who are armed with AK-47 and other dangerous weapons,” he said.
Falana further called on the Federal Government to review ongoing legal actions against members of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, arguing that the recent acceptance of the forest guard initiative should influence such cases.
He urged the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to discontinue the case involving some members of the group.
“Since the Federal Government has now embraced the forest guard initiative, the Attorney-General should discontinue the criminal case pending at the Federal High Court against the seven leaders and members of the Nigeria Forest Security Service,” he said.
Falana maintained that taking these steps would not only improve security in Borno but also show commitment to protecting lives and restoring public confidence.
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