National parks worry over activities of bandits, kidnappers

• …arrest 607 offenders between January and November

The Conservator General of National Parks Service (NPS), Dr. Ibrahim Musa Goni, has said that parks across the country are threatened by activities of bandits, kidnappers and cattle rustlers that now use them as safe haven.

He said those threats are in addition to illegal logging, grazing, water poisoning and mining activities that have been for long been a source of concern to the management.

Dr. Goni, who noted this in Abuja recently while presenting the 2019 scorecard of the service, said 607 forest offenders including poachers, miners, and cattle grazers were arrested across the parks between January and November 2019.

The conservator general noted that aside the general insecurity bedeviling the service, maiming and killing of rangers by poachers/herdsmen, inadequate training of officers and men as a paramilitary agency, inadequate number of operational equipment, use of obsolete and low calibre firearms and ammunitions, as well as poor road networks into the parks, are among the many challenges the workers faced in carrying out their duty.

“Over the years, the service has remained resolute and committed to protecting these unique heritages in the various ecosystems and working towards increasing the areas through the establishment of additional National Parks,” he said.

He, however, expressed optimism that by 2020, the review of the National Park Service Act which is long overdue, would be carried out. He said the act would ensure the acceleration of the partial commercialisation process and complete the creation of 10 additional National Parks across the country.

Other benefits, he said, include the establishment of one marine National Park for the protection and preservation of the marine ecosystem, acquisition of high calibre firearms and ammunitions, increased funding to the parks and involvement of security agencies in park protection and surveillance.

Dr Gono lamented that Nigeria’s forest cover is current at 6.7 per cent, having declined from 10 per cent in the 1980s, adding that the country has to pay more attention to the National Parks and establish more.

“With trees, we are sure to mitigate climate change; national park is not just important in preserving plants and animals, but an important agent in the fight against climate change,” he said.

“It may interest you to know that the Service is at the forefront in the mitigation of climate change, drought and desertification in the country. It also plays a pivotal role in the amelioration of ravaging erosion and floods,” he stated.