President Bola Tinubu has ordered the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, to immediately commence the training, arming, and deployment of additional forest guards across the country as part of intensified efforts to curb rising insecurity.

The directive was announced on Wednesday in a statement by Sunday Dare, the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Communications.

According to the presidency, Tinubu expressed concern over the persistent cases of kidnapping, banditry, and terrorist attacks nationwide, stressing that the country requires a more forceful and coordinated security response.

“We face challenges here and there of kidnapping and terrorism. We need all the forces we can utilize,” the President said. “We need to protect our people.”

The renewed push to strengthen forest security comes as the federal government weighs broader regional and domestic security interventions.

On Tuesday, the Senate began deliberating President Tinubu’s request to deploy Nigerian troops to the Republic of Benin as part of a Peace Mission aimed at safeguarding the neighbouring country’s democratic institutions following an attempted coup over the weekend.

The President’s request—read on the Senate floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio—stated that the proposed deployment was made “in compliance with Section 5(4) Part II of the 1999 Constitution” and followed consultations with the National Defence Council.

The Senate has referred the request to the Committee of the Whole for urgent consideration, with lawmakers expected to debate the mission’s legality, scope, and potential implications.