Northern Security Fund Must Back Forest Guards, State Police, NCYP Says

The Northern Christian Youth Professionals (NCYP) has called on the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund (NNSTF) to become the financial backbone of the proposed Forest Guard Initiative and State Police, warning that the security of Northern Nigeria would remain vulnerable if any state is left with weak security capacity.

The organisation made the call on Thursday while congratulating the Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) on the inauguration of the Board of Trustees of the NNSTF, describing the initiative as a landmark development capable of transforming the region’s response to insecurity.

In a statement signed by its Chairman, Isaac Abrak, NCYP said the commitment by the 19 Northern states to contribute ₦1 billion monthly each to the Fund could generate approximately ₦19 billion monthly and ₦228 billion annually, making it one of the most ambitious regionally funded security initiatives in Nigeria’s history.

The group, however, said the success of the Fund should not be measured by the volume of money mobilised, but by the concrete security outcomes it delivers.

According to NCYP, the Fund must help reclaim and secure forests, protect vulnerable communities, strengthen intelligence gathering, restore public confidence and revive economic activities across Northern Nigeria.

The organisation congratulated the Co-Chairmen of the Board of Trustees, former Defence Minister Mahmud Yayale Ahmed and former Chief of Defence Staff, General Martin Luther Agwai (rtd.), expressing confidence that their experience would help position the Fund as a catalyst for lasting peace and stability in the region.

NCYP said the creation of the Trust Fund provided Northern political leaders, traditional rulers, elders and other stakeholders with an opportunity to demonstrate collective ownership of the region’s security challenges.

It said Northern Nigeria could no longer depend solely on central security institutions to address threats that emerge within communities, forests and other ungoverned spaces.

“Lasting peace cannot depend solely on central security institutions; it requires taking security closer to the people, where threats first emerge, intelligence is first gathered and criminal activities can be disrupted before they develop into larger security crises,” the statement said.

The group welcomed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Forest Guard Initiative and renewed advocacy for State Police, particularly by Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, describing both initiatives as complementary components of a modern, layered security architecture.

While the Forest Guard would focus on securing forests and other ungoverned spaces used as operational bases by terrorists, bandits and kidnappers, NCYP said State Police would strengthen community policing, intelligence gathering and rapid response.

It therefore urged the Trust Fund to establish dedicated intervention programmes for the expansion and professionalisation of Forest Guard formations across the region, noting that several states were still at the early stages of implementation while others had yet to commence.

The organisation also called on the Fund to prepare to support the development of professional State Police Commands once the constitutional and institutional processes for their establishment are completed.

Such support, it said, should include training, personnel welfare, operational vehicles, communications systems, intelligence infrastructure, surveillance technology and other logistics necessary for effective policing.

NCYP further urged the Trust Fund to promote joint planning, intelligence sharing, interoperability and regular exercises involving Forest Guards, future State Police Commands and existing federal security agencies.

The organisation warned that uneven security capacity among Northern states could create vulnerabilities that criminal groups would exploit.

“Terrorists, bandits and kidnappers do not recognise state boundaries. They move towards areas where security gaps exist,” it said, insisting that the region must ensure that no state is left behind.

It declared: “The security of Northern Nigeria is only as strong as the security of its weakest state.”

NCYP commended President Tinubu for implementing the Forest Guard Initiative and praised Governor Uba Sani for his advocacy for State Police and Kaduna State’s proactive implementation of the Forest Guard programme, including the training of pioneer recruits.

The group also commended the Chairman of the Northern States Governors’ Forum, Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State, Northern governors, traditional rulers, eminent elders and members of the Board of Trustees for what it described as collective leadership at a critical moment.

It urged the Board of Trustees to make transparency, accountability, measurable outcomes and regional cooperation the guiding principles of the NNSTF.

NCYP said the Fund should go beyond financing isolated security interventions and instead serve as the foundation for an integrated regional security framework capable of protecting lives, securing livelihoods and creating the conditions for economic recovery.

The organisation disclosed that it would release a comprehensive policy memorandum containing detailed recommendations on how the Trust Fund could support the expansion of the Forest Guard, prepare for the establishment of State Police and strengthen grassroots security across Northern Nigeria.