The Enugu State Forest Guard (ESFG) on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, convened its maiden stakeholder town hall at Adada House, Nsukka, the administrative hub of Enugu North Senatorial Zone. The gathering aimed to foster stronger community collaboration in protecting the state’s forests while also unveiling a new transparent recruitment model under its E3 initiative — Eligibility, Evidence, and Ethics.

The town hall drew a diverse audience from across Enugu North, including traditional rulers from Nsukka, Udenu, Igbo-Etiti, Igbo-Eze North, Igbo-Eze South, Isi-Uzo, and Uzo-Uwani local government areas. Farmers’ cooperatives, hunters’ groups, vigilante associations, market leaders, youth and women organizations, and security agencies were also well represented.

In his address, the Commander of the Forest Guard, Dr. Akinbayo Olasoji (DCP Rtd), explained that Nsukka was deliberately chosen as the starting point of the exercise due to its vast forest reserves and its central role in agriculture and food production within the state. He stressed that the safety of forests stretching from Uzo-Uwani through Igbo-Eze to Isi-Uzo was critical to sustaining farming and community life. According to him, the new recruitment process would be fair, community-based, and transparent.

Participants raised pressing concerns, including illegal logging, rising cases of kidnapping along forest corridors, encroachment on reserves, and the destruction of farmlands. Many emphasized the need for stronger coordination between the Forest Guard, vigilante outfits, and traditional authorities.

The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the E3 recruitment framework. Under this system, prospective operatives must be indigenes of the local communities, aged between 20 and 45, possess at least a First School Leaving Certificate, be physically fit, maintain a clean record, and secure endorsements from community leaders before being considered.

HRM Igwe Dr. Herbert Nwanosike Ukuta, Chairman of the Nsukka Council of Traditional Rulers, applauded the plan but warned that it must be insulated from political interference to win community trust. Farmers such as Mrs. Nkechi Ozoemene of Uzo-Uwani welcomed the initiative, noting it would encourage a return to abandoned farmlands once safety is guaranteed. Town unions and community associations equally pledged to support recruitment and intelligence gathering.

The engagement, which lasted from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., concluded with a closed-door session between the Forest Guard leadership and security agency heads, followed by a media briefing. The Nsukka forum was the first phase of a three-day statewide exercise that later moved to Agbani in Enugu East Zone and Awgu in Enugu West Zone.