Amid escalating insecurity across Nigeria, hunters and farmers are urging the Federal Government to formally empower them to help flush out bandits, Boko Haram insurgents, and other criminal elements hiding in forests.
Groups such as the Nigerian Forest Security Service, Professional Hunters Association of Nigeria, Agbekoya Farmers’ Society of Nigeria, and the Oodua Peoples Congress argue they possess the spiritual ability, knowledge, training, and presence in forests necessary to combat terrorists.
The appeal comes amid a surge in terror attacks, particularly in Plateau and Benue states. Last week, no fewer than 51 people were killed by gunmen in Zikke and Kakpa communities in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State. This followed deadly clashes two weeks earlier in other parts of the state. Before that, gunmen killed at least 52 people and displaced nearly 2,000 others after several days of attacks on six villages in Plateau. The National Emergency Management Agency confirmed 52 deaths and reported that 22 victims were hospitalized.
Reacting to the killings, President Bola Tinubu ordered security agencies to tackle insecurity head-on and mandated a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s security strategy.
However, the hunters and farmers insist that without federal recognition, they remain a critical but underutilized force in the fight against forest-based crimes, particularly in border states.
Speaking with the Commandant General of the Nigerian Forest Security Service, Joshua Osatimehin, warned that failure to secure forests would continue to threaten national security. He emphasized that operatives, many of whom live in the forests, could not take decisive action without government backing to avoid accusations of illegal operations or genocide.
“We understand the forests; some of our operatives live there. But without government support, we cannot just attack marauders. With official backing, we can deploy all our arsenals — physically, spiritually, and otherwise — to dislodge them. These criminals are few compared to Nigeria’s population. With government support, we can defeat them,” Osatimehin stated.
He stressed the need for logistical and infrastructural support at forest points to reduce killings drastically. He also highlighted Nigeria’s porous borders as a major cause of foreign infiltration.
“Our operatives farm and hunt in these forests. This familiarity makes it easier to form a first line of defense before the military or police arrive,” he added, noting that, while some operatives possess spiritual protective powers, legal backing and proper training are essential.
National Secretary of the Professional Hunters Association of Nigeria, Danladi Perry, emphasized the urgent need for intensified patrols and surveillance along forest routes often exploited by attackers.
He said, “The spate of killings in Benue, Plateau, and other northern states could have been prevented if the Federal Government had engaged professional hunters, forest guards, and local vigilantes. We need support to facilitate patrols and regularly monitor the bushes around us.”
The Secretary-General of the Agbekoya Farmers’ Society of Nigeria, Adegbenro Ogunlana, revealed that his group had already resorted to spiritual means to combat insecurity across South-West states.
“If not for the spiritual sacrifices made based on Ifa oracle instructions, things would have been much worse. We have even arrested some insiders aiding the terrorists," Ogunlana stated. He emphasized the need for spiritual interventions to restore peace and lamented the absence of a central leadership in the Yoruba nation to coordinate self-defense efforts.
Similarly, the Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yorubaland, Gani Adams, said invoking spiritual measures was a personal decision but confirmed that consultations were ongoing among Yoruba elders.
“The wave of insecurity is spreading. Terrorists have infiltrated Yoruba land, especially communities rich in solid minerals. Our politicians are doing little about it,” Adams warned.
In the North-Central region, Commander of Patrol and Guards, Nigeria Forest Security Service, Alhaji Muhammad Ahmed, asserted that Nigeria’s security challenges would end if President Tinubu assented to a bill pending before him.
Ahmed explained that the Nigeria Forest Security Service — formerly known as the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service — had spiritual solutions to the country's insecurity.
“We have real hunters with spiritual powers who know the forest terrains where terrorists operate. If the President signs the bill legalizing our operations, insecurity will be obliterated,” he said.
Ahmed noted that the bill, passed by both the Senate and the House of Representatives, aimed to legalize deploying local hunters with spiritual powers to combat insecurity.
ADEOLA KUNLE
