The Nigeria Forest Security Service has clarified that its ongoing recruitment drive is neither a formal government employment scheme nor funded by the Federal Government, describing it instead as a long-running voluntary initiative.

The NFSS clarification comes after the emergence of a WhatsApp group, ‘Department of Forest Surveillance NFSS,’ which has attracted over 500 members claiming to offer forest guard jobs in Abuja. Investigations revealed that prospective applicants were asked to pay varying sums of money as part of a purported recruitment process.

Administrators of the group, who claimed to be officials of the NFSS FCT Command, gave conflicting accounts when contacted by our correspondent.

One administrator denied that any payments were required, saying, “As far as I know, we do not deal with any transaction involving money.”

Another administrator, however, said: “Registration is N30,000, and the applicant will also be responsible for buying a uniform. This is only for those who will be recruited into the surveillance department.”

Applicants interviewed described being pressured into making multiple payments with promises of positions.

One said he paid N140,000 despite being told recruitment had closed. “I bought the form for N140,000 because I want to start with two stars. I have not been told if it is formal or informal recruitment.

“They kept asking for different payments — N3,000, N2,000, even N25,000 for a so-called ceremony. At some point, it became clear that something was wrong.”

Another applicant said, “I am just in the system for now. I am not allowed to tell you the amount I bought the form for. I have seen the service posting their officials to man hotels, among others, so I feel the process is legit.”

A third applicant added, “I paid N70,000 for the form, ID, excluding uniforms.”

However, speaking with our correspondent on Saturday, the Assistant Commander General of the service in Zone 1 (FCT and Kogi State), Joseph Obadiah, acknowledged both the informal nature of the exercise and the internal challenges surrounding it, including cases of exploitation by rogue commanders.

Obadiah explained that, although the organisation has been operating for years, it is still in the process of securing full integration into Nigeria’s formal security framework.

He traced the agency’s evolution from its earlier identity as the Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service to its current structure, noting that the transition followed legislative reforms in 2024 and eventual presidential assent in 2025.

Despite this progress, he said coordination with existing security structures remains incomplete.

The ACG said, “The problem is that the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, was supposed to call the Nigeria Forest Security Service for a meeting to merge with the Forest Guards, but he has not called us yet.

“The Forest Guard has been on the ground even before I was born, but the NFSS came after the Forest Guard.”

He described the current recruitment process as a temporary measure to build manpower, stressing that participants are not salaried by the government.

“Our recruitment is not paid by the federal government. It is something we have been doing for more than 10 years, he said.

According to him, volunteers mainly support conventional security agencies such as the police when called upon.

“When the police call us for investigation or assistance, we go into action. We arrest criminals and hand them over to the police,” he said.

To sustain participants, Obadiah said the organisation helps connect recruits after being trained by the Police, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps among others to private security opportunities.

The ACG added, “At the end, when we see those working without payment, we create opportunities for them. If you want, you can guard someone’s house or a school and be paid.”

“If you don’t have something to do, we can place you somewhere, even at a gate, and you can earn something.”

He emphasised that involvement in the service is entirely optional.

“What we are doing is voluntary. It is a free job—you join willingly. If you want to be placed somewhere, they will arrange it,” he said.

However, Obadiah admitted that the system has been undermined by unauthorised fee collection.

“Some of our commanders are deceiving people, collecting money—N100,000, N50,000, even N200,000. We are not aware of that. Anybody you come across collecting money—even if it is N1m—is not acting on our behalf.”

He Insisted that the organisation does not charge recruitment fees beyond limited administrative costs.

“The only thing you pay for is your ID card. The form is N30,000,” he said, explaining that identification is necessary for operational purposes. “You cannot operate, especially with local arms, without proper identification, so we issue ID cards which still carry the Hunters title.”

On questions about the legality of the arrangement, Obadiah maintained that the initiative is grounded in voluntary service rather than formal employment.

He explained, “We have been doing free work, but we realised you cannot send personnel on assignments without them earning some money.

“We have been doing this for years, and there have been no issues with the police or other security agencies. This is to sustain the personnel we recruit and train.”

He added that administrative adjustments are still ongoing following the agency’s rebranding.

“If the NSA calls us now for the meeting and we are merged, the ID will be changed, because the IDs we issue are based on the Nigerian Hunters Security Service. With the change of name to the Nigeria Forest Security Service, no new IDs have been issued or used yet.”

Obadiah confirmed that the same model is being applied across the country. “We do it in all states,” he said. (Saturday PUNCH)