Retired Brigadier General SK Usman has called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to reclaim Nigeria’s forests from kidnappers and bandits, warning that areas once regarded as places of refuge have become hideouts for criminal groups.
Usman, in an opinion article titled “When the Bush Is No Longer a Sanctuary,” published by Gatekeepers News on Wednesday, October 21, 2026, identified inadequate security presence, weak intelligence gathering and poor coordination among security agencies as factors contributing to forest-based criminal activities.
He cited forest areas in Katsina, Kaduna, Niger and Zamfara states as examples of locations where criminal groups have exploited difficult terrain to conceal their movements, hold victims captive and launch attacks on surrounding communities.
The retired general noted that the growing threat of kidnapping has disrupted farming, trade and other economic activities, leaving rural communit
