Falana demands release of detained forest guard leaders

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Femi Falana, has called on the Federal Government (FG) to immediately release the detained leaders of the Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS), describing their continued detention as unconstitutional and unjustifiable.

In a statement issued on Monday, Falana said the Commander-General of the Nigeria Forest Security Service, Dr Joshua Osatimehin, alongside six other officials, was arrested on April 21, 2026, on the orders of the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

According to him, the officials have remained in detention without trial, contrary to Section 35 of the Nigerian Constitution and Article 6 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act, both of which guarantee the right to personal liberty.

Falana noted that investigations revealed that the forest guards have been actively supporting security operations across the country amid Nigeria’s worsening insecurity.

He explained that the Nigeria Forest Security Service has been providing security support to federal and state government agencies, corporate organisations and private individuals in several parts of the country.

The senior lawyer added that forest guards have also been deployed to secure schools located in rural communities vulnerable to attacks by criminal groups.

“On several occasions in the recent past, the forest guards have secured the release of many abducted citizens and handed them over to the authorities of the Nigeria Police Force,” Falana stated.

He further disclosed that some members of the forest security outfit had lost their lives while confronting terrorist groups and criminal gangs operating in forests across the country.

Falana argued that the arrest and continued detention of the forest guards were difficult to justify, especially at a time when several state governments are collaborating with local vigilante groups and other community-based security outfits to tackle insecurity.

The legal practitioner also referenced the recent passage of the Forest Guards Bill by both chambers of the National Assembly, saying it demonstrated official recognition of the contributions of the forest guards to national security.

Although the bill is still awaiting presidential assent from Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Falana noted that the FG had already directed the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Department of State Services to recruit 130,000 forest guards to secure forests nationwide.

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Rather than harassing the operatives, Falana urged the FG to integrate them into the proposed National Guard structure.

“In view of the foregoing, the Office of the National Security Adviser should release the leaders of the Nigeria Forest Security Service without any further delay,” he said.

He added that if the authorities believed the detained officials had committed any offence, they should be formally charged before a court of competent jurisdiction alongside members of similar security outfits operating across the federation.