The Nigeria Forest Security Service (NFSS) has commended Governor Francis Nwifuru for reinforcing Ebonyi State’s security architecture through proactive leadership, strategic collaboration, and a robust community-based approach.
The commendation was delivered by Commander Larry Igwe, the Ebonyi State Commander of the NFSS, during the first security enlightenment briefing of the year held in Abakaliki.
Commander Igwe said the state recorded zero security incidents during and after the Christmas and New Year celebrations, attributing the achievement to Governor Nwifuru’s strategic security planning and seamless coordination with security agencies.
“The governor is a builder and a people’s governor. The security chiefs in the state are well-cooperated and collaborated with the administration because of his perfect and proactive handling,” he said.
He added that Ebonyi’s 155 communities experienced total peace and coexistence, noting that the governor’s leadership played a decisive role in preventing youth violence and communal crises.
The NFSS commander emphasized the value of the service’s community-based model, explaining that personnel are recruited from local communities, which ensures that their intelligence reports are credible and actionable.
“Our members are recruited from our localities. That is why no information we pass to other security agencies is raw,” he said, adding that the NFSS often provides critical intelligence used by other agencies for operations.
Commander Igwe further disclosed that Governor Nwifuru approved the recruitment of 2,600 personnel into the NFSS to strengthen forest security and rural protection across the state.
He said the newly recruited personnel were trained and deployed across all 13 local government areas, ensuring that forests, boundaries, and rural communities were properly monitored during the festive season.
“The governor graciously approved 2,600 personnel to be recruited into this organization. The recruitment was smooth, and it contributed to the zero-tolerance approach to security crises during and after Christmas,” he said.
In the same statement, the Ebonyi NFSS command also passed a unanimous vote of confidence in the Commander-General of the NFSS, Ambassador Dr. Joshua Osatimehin Wole, describing his leadership as visionary and transformational.
The statement praised the national leadership for strengthening the operational framework, improving coordination between commands, and prioritizing training and capacity building.
While celebrating the security gains, Commander Igwe appealed to the federal and state governments, as well as well-meaning individuals, to support the NFSS with logistics, office accommodation, and communication equipment to enhance its operations.
“We have challenges of office accommodation, logistics, and communication tools. We need support to sustain our effectiveness,” he said.
He also urged the state government to consider providing allowances for trained personnel to motivate and sustain their commitment to security duties.
Commander Igwe reaffirmed the NFSS’s loyalty to the federal government and Governor Nwifuru, pledging continued dedication to protecting lives, forests, and property across Ebonyi State.
“The governor is ready to do more. We are challenging him to do more because he has proven his capacity to lead and secure the state,” he concluded.
