ARCN Boss Blames Insecurity on Neglect of Forests

The Executive Secretary of Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Prof. Garba Sharubutu, on Tuesday called on the federal government to strengthen the Forest Guard architecture in order to find lasting solution to the rising security challenges in the country. He said the problem of insecurity has continued to constrain agricultural initiatives as well as prevented farmers from accessing their farms unaided. Speaking during a scorecard session with agriculture correspondents in Abuja, he said the forest remained the root cause of the lingering insecurity in the country, and called on the government to pay attention towards the direction. He stressed that other countries have been able address similar security issues by properly safeguarding their forests. Sharubutu said: "I think I have made presentation even at the highest level of the police formation in the country, and I have one word: ‘the underlining factor for insecurity is the forest’. "For those who are old enough here, they know what forest guards are. In Kenya, India and other countries, they have forest guards. “When people steal children either from Kagara or from Jangebe, they take them to the forest because nobody knows the forest like them. "Boko Haram was able to maneuver Sambisa because it's a forest. And this factor is striking us in the face, and we have neglected such factor which is the truth." He said he believed that if the forests were properly manned by the security forces, the current challenges, including kidnappings and banditry, would be tackled. He said: "Why was the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) set up? It was because people were dying by accident on the road. "So, today, if you strengthen the forest guards, what is wrong with that, because people are dying in the forest?” Sharubutu maintained that the neglect of the forests remained the root cause of insecurity, adding that this should be tackled by the government.