The Nigerian Forest Security Service says it is ready to collaborate with the Anambra government to rescue its forests from unknown gunmen and other criminal elements.

The NFSS vowed to comb all the forests in the state where killers and kidnappers of innocent citizens had their camps and hideouts. Its commander in Anambra, Destiny Jonas, said this in a statement on Thursday in Abuja.

Mr Jonas said the call became necessary following the kidnap of an Anambra lawmaker, coupled with the abduction of an Anglican clergy member and the killing of a Catholic priest in the state.

He said the recent brutal killings of eight people in Chigbonu village in Umuike Ubahuekwem in Ihiala on December 30, 2024, by gunmen, as well as other heinous crimes being perpetrated across the state, required synergy with the forest security service.

“NFSS is ever willing and ready to offer its expertise in securing the forests and bushes, both for economic reasons and security purposes. Our operations are mostly in the forests and bushes and we know the terrain very well.

“NFSS will be most obliged to join forces with other security agencies. NFSS is ready to rescue Anambra forests from unknown gunmen and other criminal elements but the need for recognition and roundtable discussions is of paramount importance,” he said.

The commander expressed concerns that investors were fleeing from Anambra to invest in other states because of insecurity in the land. He said that officers and men of the NFSS had been assisting the police and other security agencies to ensure the safety of those who returned to Anambra for the festive season.

Mr Jonas emphasised that a lot more had to be done to redeem Anambra forests from the tutelage of daredevil gunmen and other criminal minds.

According to him, the impassable remote areas like Achala, Igbariam, Nsugbe and some others were hitch-free because men of the NFSS were stationed in those places.

Mr Jonas said that NFSS had identified some flashpoint bushes across the state where it would declare total war on criminal camps from January 2025.

He said all the security outfits required were the authorities’ permission to launch massive operations in the identified black spots. The NFSS commander disclosed that the operatives of the NFSS rescued some kidnapped victims during the yuletide.

According to him, NFSS plans to ensure that Anambra forests are free from criminal activities like deforestation, kidnappings, and all other criminal activities.

(NAN)