11 Most Dangerous Forests in Nigeria Infested with Deadly Criminals

Keypoints:

• Tinubu Approves Recruitment of 130,000 Armed Forest Guards to Reclaim Forests from Criminals, but Plan Stalls After Five Months
• 96,043 square kilometers of forest land serve as criminal hideouts nationwide.
• Sambisa Forest, Boko Haram’s Deadly Stronghold, covers only 518 km².
• Dajin Rugu hosts 10,000 bandits in 40 camps, fueling raids and violence.
• Kamuku and Alawa forests are battlefields for Ansaru jihadists and other criminal groups.
• A 33% unemployment rate drives recruitment into forest criminal groups.
• States with managed forests have peace; securing them could end Nigeria’s insecurity.

By Emmanuel Kwada 

On May 14, 2025, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the establishment of a National Forest Guard system, aimed at securing Nigeria’s 1,129 forest reserves by recruiting over 130,000 armed operatives, with each state tasked to enlist 2,000 to 5,000 guards. The ambitious initiative promised to curb the growing menace of forest-based criminality.

Yet, five months later, the plan appears stalled, with little evidence of implementation. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s forests—covering roughly 96,043 square kilometers or 10% of the country’s landmass—continue to serve as ungoverned havens for armed groups, fueling a surge in abductions, murders, and village raids across multiple states.

Enugu State Forests guard. Credit Enugu Tv

Forests, once ecological treasures, have become synonymous with danger due to poor management and limited state presence. According to a 2018 report, these ungoverned spaces have been exploited by bandits, terrorists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers, who use the dense vegetation and remoteness to evade security forces. In contrast, states with managed forests or limited forest cover, such as Lagos and Ogun in southern Nigeria, report significantly lower incidents of forest-based criminality, highlighting the correlation between effective forest governance and peace.

“The forests are like a kingdom for these criminals,” said Mallam Usman Sani, a farmer from Zamfara’s Dansadau District, near the notorious Dajin Rugu Forest. “They hide in there, and no one dares to enter. We hear gunshots at night, and sometimes we see them on motorcycles, carrying rifles, moving like ghosts.”

In Borno State, Sambisa Forest has been a Jihadist Stronghold

The Sambisa Forest, spanning 518 km² across Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, is Nigeria’s most infamous criminal hideout. Once a game reserve and a fertile farming area for people from Adamawa, Borno, and neighboring states who harvested abundant crops at season’s end to take home, it is now a fortress for Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

They hide in there, and no one dares to enter.

These groups, armed with automatic rifles and explosives, have turned the forest into a base for abductions, bombings, and raids. A local hunter in Borno, Audu Gambo, described Sambisa as “a place where death lives. The forest swallows people, and the insurgents know every path. We avoid it like a curse.”“Soldiers dig a deep hole barricading the forest, and anyone that goes beyond the demarcation is done. He won’t come back alive. The Boko Haram hang on trees monitoring everything from the forest, and at any slightest opportunity, they come in to loot, kill people, and soldiers are aware that beyond that hole is Boko Haram zone.”

“Those are people’s land where we farm before, but it is not accessible again,” Simon Usiju, a farmer in Madagali, narrated their plight.

Illustration: Bandits kidnapped victims in Zamfara forest

In Zamfara State: Kuyambana, Burwaye, Ajja, Sububu, and Dajin Rugu Forests

Zamfara is an epicenter of banditry, with forests like Kuyambana, Burwaye, Ajja, Sububu, and Dajin Rugu hosting an estimated 10,000 bandits across 40 camps, according to Baba Umar, a displaced resident from Zurmi. These groups, often Fulani and Hausa, use AK-47s and motorcycles to conduct cattle rustling, kidnappings, and village raids. Since 2021, over 12,000 deaths and 50,000 displacements have been linked to banditry in Zamfara. “The Dajin Rugu Forest is a monster,” he said. “Bandits come out at night, take our people, and vanish back into the trees. We’re helpless.”

Recently, Gov. Dauda Lawal lamented how porous the forests are and used by bandits as hideouts.

Kaduna State: Kamuku, Kuduru, and Kagoro Forests

Kaduna’s Kamuku Forest, stretching across multiple states, is dubbed “Sambisa” by locals for its danger. It hosts bandits and Ansaru jihadists, who engage in cattle rustling, kidnappings, and highway robberies. In 2014, Kagoro Forest was linked to attacks by suspected Fulani herdsmen, killing over 150 in Sanga and Kaura LGAs. “Kamuku is no longer a forest; it’s a battlefield,” said Nehemiah Yakubu, a trader in Lere. “Bandits move freely, and we live in fear of their next raid.”

Niger State: Alawa and Kamuku Forests

Niger’s Alawa and Kamuku Forests are bases for bandits and foreign terrorists from Niger Republic, who exploit the region’s porous borders. In 2022, Niger recorded 602 deaths in 50 violent incidents, making it Nigeria’s most violent state that year. “Alawa Forest is a trap,” said Dominic Hamman, a farmer in Niger state. “Bandits come out with guns, take our children, and disappear. We can’t farm near it anymore. The bandits know the forest better than we do.”

Bandits come out with guns, take our children, and disappear. We can’t farm near it anymore. The bandits know the forest better than we do.

In Katsina State: Dajin Rugu and Birnin Kogo Forests

Katsina’s Dajin Rugu and Birnin Kogo Forests are hideouts for bandits and criminal herdsmen, who use AK-47s for cattle rustling and kidnappings. The forests’ cross-state span aids their evasion tactics. “The forest is their shield,” said Fatima Audu, an NGO worker in Katsina. “They attack our villages and run back to the trees where no one can follow.”

In Benue and Plateau States, Fulani herdsmen exploit ungoverned forests like Guma Forest, bordering Nasarawa, Sububu, and Kamuku as hideouts, fueling insecurity. These dense, unregulated areas provide cover for planning attacks, cattle rustling, and kidnappings.

They attack our villages and run back to the trees where no one can follow.

While Enugu, Abia, and Anambra states’ ungoverned forests facilitate criminal activities of IPOB and ethnic tensions between Igbo farmers and Fulani herders, they face severe challenges from Fulani herdsmen, as seen in the 2016 Nimbo massacre, where 40 were killed.

Evidently, Lagos, Ogun, Akwa Ibom, Ebonyi, FCT, and Gombe, with minimal forest cover due to urbanization, have highly managed land use, limiting hideouts for criminals. Their robust security and economic activity result in low violence, with rare herdsmen-related incidents.

President Tinubu’s National Forest Guard initiative aimed to reclaim these dangerous forests, but progress has been elusive. Security experts question the lack of visible deployment, training, or funding updates since the May announcement.

The exploitation of Nigeria’s forests is fueled by weak governance, poverty, unemployment, and small arms proliferation. With 33% unemployment and five of Nigeria’s ten poorest states in the northwest, vulnerable youths are easily recruited by armed groups. Climate change exacerbates tensions, driving Fulani herders southward into farming communities, sparking ethnic and resource conflicts. Porous borders with Niger, Cameroon, and Chad facilitate the flow of weapons and foreign terrorists.

This shows that the insecurity in Nigeria will be of the past if the forests are well secured and managed.

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