From Marcel Duru Owerri
Community Leader and Veteran Journalist Chief Everest Ezihe has said that the Nigeria Forest Guard has failed Conspicuously in South-East. Speaking from Omaricha 91.1 FM Programme tagged the Spot Light, he said that Forest Guard is a Security outfit instituted by the Federal Government that has to do with grassroot Security protection as a result of Terrorists, Bandits, kidnappers terrorising the Communities across the Country. He said that Forest Guard were meant to be stationed into the Forest where the terrorists, bandits and kidnappers hid themselves to carry out their nefarious and heinous activities and to protect the Communities from coordinated attacks, protect the North and Middle Belt regions. Ezihe said that since the Inauguration and Commissioning of the Nigeria Forest Guard, Nigerians in general and Imo State in particular have not felt their Impact so much because people are kidnapped, raped and killed by these terrorists, bandits hoodlums on daily basis, adding that they were fundamentally set up to counter these bandits but they have failed in their Responsibility.
He further projected that in South-East the bandits, terrorists and kidnappers who are on rampage have even Infiltrated into the business activities of Estate Agents, particularly in Owerri-west and Owerri- North Local Government Areas of Imo State, stressing that Nigeria recruited 45000 but it is not enough to go round the Country. “In Nigeria we have over 200,000 ethnic Communities and also In Imo State there are 657 Autonomous Communities and if we share the 45000 to it will not go for a person to every Autonomous Community. Many of the Forest Guard did not reside in the forest and lack patriotism because many of them joined because they had no alternative employment and by extension lack the zeal and passion for the job. Also it lacks effective coordination and monitoring by those who employed them”. Ezihe however opined that Nigeria should have at least Five million Forest Guard so that every Community should have at most sixteen Forest Guards in every Autonomous Community adding that in this era of Digital Economy and Technology Federal should employ that to achieve this purpose.” In Imo State, for effective security, Governor Hope Uzodimma allowed Traditional Rulers, President Generals and stakeholders on every community to recruit 15 members and present them to the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs via Police Training School Ihiagwa in Owerri-west (LGA) and he also integrated Community Leaders for the community Security Services”.
