When The Bush Is No Longer A Sanctuary – by Brig. Gen SK Usman (rtd)

 

When The Bush Is No Longer A Sanctuary – by Brig. Gen SK Usman (rtd)

There was a time when the bush was a sanctuary from danger, a playground for children and a vast pasture where herders grazed their
animals. When an enemy approached, violence erupted or a community came under attack, people instinctively fled into the surrounding
vegetation, trusting its thick cover to conceal them from harm. Children played among its trees and pathways, while herders relied on its
grasses and open spaces to sustain their livestock. Though sometimes frightening, the bush was familiar, useful and, above all, a place of
refuge. Today, that familiar landscape has assumed a sinister character. In many parts of Nigeria, the forest that once offered protection,
recreation and livelihood has become a theatre of terror, harbouring kidnappers and bandits who abduct, torture and kill with alarming
impunity. What was once a sanctuary has become a place of dread, where venturing into the bush or travelling towards its fringes can expose
innocent citizens to grave danger.

This is one of the most disturbing reversals in our national security experience. Forests that should support tourism, agriculture, wildlife
conservation and economic development have become hideouts for kidnappers and bandits who terrorise innocent citizens. For farmers,
travellers and rural communities, the fear extends beyond roads passing through thick vegetation to access routes leading into forests,
pathways connecting isolated settlements and communities bordering criminal hideouts.

How did we arrive at this point? Why have places endowed with natural beauty and tourism potential become danger zones that people
dread? And what must government and society do to reclaim these vital national assets?

The problem is not that Nigeria has forests. It is that criminal groups have exploited difficult terrain, inadequate surveillance and weak
security presence to establish hideouts, hold captives and launch attacks on surrounding communities. Dense vegetation, rugged landscapes
and multiple escape routes provide concealment, while poorly monitored access roads and limited emergency response enable criminals to
move between remote settlements.

The experience of Dajin Rugu in Katsina State, alongside the Kamuku Forest and parts of the Kuyambana Forest in Kaduna State, the
Kagara and Zugurma forest corridors in Niger State, and the Dansadau, Anka and Maradun forest areas in Zamfara State, illustrates this
troubling reality. These and other forested landscapes, including the Faskari and Safana forest belts in Katsina, the Birnin Gwari forest axis
in Kaduna, the Shiroro and Munya forest areas in Niger, and the Gusau, Bukkuyum and Tsafe forest corridors in Zamfara, should serve as
natural assets for conservation, livelihoods and development. Instead, many have become associated with banditry, kidnapping and fear.
Criminals exploit the difficult terrain to conceal their movements, hold victims captive and sustain operations that threaten communities and
livelihoods across state boundaries.

The consequences reach far beyond the forest. Farmers are afraid to access their fields, traders struggle to move goods, rural businesses
suffer and families live under the constant threat of abduction. Natural attractions become inaccessible, investment declines and
communities are deprived of the freedom to live and work without fear. What should be an economic and environmental asset becomes a
liability to the people it ought to serve.

Several factors have contributed to this deterioration. In some remote areas, inadequate state presence, limited intelligence gathering and
insufficiently sustained patrols have created opportunities for criminal groups to operate. Difficult terrain complicates surveillance and
pursuit, while weak coordination across state boundaries allows criminals to exploit gaps between security jurisdictions.

The growing criminal economy surrounding kidnapping for ransom has compounded the problem. Abduction generates money that can
finance weapons, logistics and further attacks. Unless the networks that organise, finance and profit from these crimes are dismantled, the
arrest or displacement of individual perpetrators will not be enough to end the menace.

Community distrust is another challenge. Residents often possess valuable knowledge of local terrain and suspicious movements, but fear of
reprisals can discourage them from sharing information. Where citizens doubt that authorities can protect them or respond promptly, silence
becomes a means of survival. That silence, unfortunately, gives criminals greater freedom to operate.

Yet perhaps the most appalling dimension of forest-based kidnapping is the treatment of victims after their abduction. Beyond the anguish of
families left searching for missing loved ones lies the ordeal of those held captive in remote camps, often beyond public view.

Victims have reported being beaten, threatened, restrained with ropes or chains and deprived of adequate food and drinking water, some
killed.. They are held in degrading conditions, exposed to harsh weather, illness and the constant threat of violence. Chained and treated like
slaves, they are stripped not only of their freedom but also of privacy, dignity and the basic necessities of life.

Such cruelty must never be allowed to become an accepted feature of Nigerian society. A kidnapped person is not a commodity to be traded
for ransom but a human being with rights, family and dignity. The physical and psychological consequences of captivity persist long after
release, leaving survivors traumatised and families financially and emotionally devastated and invincible scars. Some families are forced to
sell property, borrow heavily or exhaust their life savings to meet ransom demands. Even after a victim is released, the financial and
emotional consequences can persist for years.

Kidnapping, torture and unlawful confinement demand a firm response grounded in the protection of human rights and the rule of law. The
perpetrators must be pursued, arrested where possible and prosecuted, while survivors must receive appropriate medical, psychological and
social support.

Reclaiming the forests requires a sustained national response that combines security, intelligence, community cooperation, environmental
protection and rural development. No single operation or agency can resolve a problem of this magnitude.

In this regard, the government’s Forest Guards Initiative deserves commendation. It recognises the need for a security presence specifically
suited to forested and remote terrain. Forest guards, particularly those drawn from affected communities, contribute valuable local
knowledge, identify suspicious movements and strengthen early-warning systems.

However, recruitment alone is not enough. Forest guards must be adequately equipped, properly remunerated, professionally trained and
effectively supervised. They need reliable communications, appropriate mobility, clear operational mandates and the support required to
perform their duties safely. Their deployment must be supported by sustainable funding, effective logistics and appropriate accountability
mechanisms.

Forest guards should complement established security agencies, including the Nigerian Army, Nigeria Police Force, Department of State
Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, National Park Service and relevant state authorities. They should also work closely with
state government security and community protection outfits, such as community watch groups, vigilante services and other locally
established security agencies, regardless of the names by which they are known in different states. These bodies possess valuable knowledge
of local terrain and community dynamics, but their activities must remain lawful, properly trained, professionally supervised and
coordinated with the formal security architecture.

In addition, forest guards and existing security agencies should be integrated into the emerging framework for state police once the
constitutional, legislative and institutional arrangements for its establishment are completed. State police, when established, should
complement rather than compete with federal security agencies and should operate within clear legal, professional and accountability
standards. Intelligence gathered on the ground must translate into timely action, while coordination across state boundaries must ensure that
criminals cannot simply relocate to evade pressure. Security operations must also be sustained. Clearing a forest of criminal elements
without maintaining a protective presence risks allowing them to return.

Government must equally target the wider criminal networks that sustain kidnapping. Those who supply weapons, finance operations,
facilitate ransom collection, knowingly provide logistical support or deliberately pass information to criminal groups should face
investigation and prosecution. Such criminal informants must be distinguished clearly from law-abiding citizens who, in good faith and
through lawful channels, provide information to security agencies to help prevent attacks, rescue victims or apprehend offenders. The former
are accomplices whose activities enable criminality and must be fished out, investigated and prosecuted in accordance with the law; the
latter are essential partners in public safety who deserve protection, confidentiality and, where appropriate, recognition for their civic
responsibility. Lawful financial investigations should help disrupt the flow of money that enables these groups to continue their activities.
The objective must be to dismantle criminal networks, not merely displace them.

Community cooperation is indispensable. Traditional rulers, farmers, hunters, transport operators and other residents should be encouraged
to report credible information through safe, established channels. Authorities must protect good citizens who provide such information,
investigate misconduct and build public confidence through professionalism and accountability. At the same time, allegations that a person
is assisting criminals must be carefully investigated and supported by credible evidence before any arrest or prosecution. Community
participation must remain lawful and must not become an excuse for vigilantism, false accusations or the persecution of innocent people.
The government must also reclaim the economic and environmental value of these landscapes. Forests should be managed as national assets
capable of supporting tourism, conservation, research, recreation and legitimate livelihoods. Tourism authorities, conservation agencies and
security agencies should work together to assess vulnerable locations and restore safe access where conditions permit. Tourism must not be
promoted recklessly in areas where serious threats remain unresolved; security must come first.

Equally important is the restoration of rural livelihoods. Insecurity disrupts farming, trade, education and healthcare, leaving communities
increasingly vulnerable. Investment in infrastructure such as roads, schools, health facilities and legitimate economic opportunities can
strengthen resilience and reduce the conditions that criminals exploit. Security and development must proceed together.

Government must also demonstrate that forest security is a sustained national priority, not a temporary response to public outrage. Progress
should be measured by fewer abductions, safer access to farms, restored freedom of movement, successful prosecutions and the return of
public confidence, not simply by the number of forest guards recruited or operations carried out.

Society also has a responsibility. Citizens should support lawful security efforts, share credible information responsibly and resist the spread
of unverified reports. The media must continue to expose criminality and scrutinise government responses without compromising rescue
operations or endangering victims. Civil society organisations, businesses and research institutions should contribute through public
education, support for survivors, environmental stewardship and evidence-based solutions.

Ultimately, the insecurity of the forests is not a problem confined to remote locations. When farmers cannot reach their farms, food
production suffers. When our routes become unsafe, commerce declines. When natural attractions become inaccessible, tourism and
employment opportunities disappear. When herders cannot safely access grazing areas, livestock production and rural livelihoods suffer.
When citizens are abducted and degraded, the entire society pays the price.

Nigeria must not surrender its forests to these criminals. The government must reclaim these spaces through sustained security operations,
effective intelligence, accountable institutions and meaningful cooperation with local communities. Society, in turn, must support the
restoration of public safety and resist the normalisation of violence.

There was a time when people ran into the bush to escape danger. Today, many fear that entering it could mean running straight into the
hands of their tormentors. This reversal must not become an accepted feature of Nigerian life.

The forest must cease to be a sanctuary for kidnappers and become once again a sanctuary for nature, a source of livelihood and a
destination for tourism. Reclaiming it is not merely a security objective; it is a duty to protect human dignity, restore economic opportunity
and defend the freedom of our citizens.

Our forests must no longer be places of fear. They must once again become places of life, opportunity and hope.