Forests are important plant communities that consist of trees and other
woody vegetation that performs life supporting functions on earth. This
paper attempts to examine forests and forest reserves as security threats in
the northern region of Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation. The study is
both empirical and theoretical in nature as both primary and secondary
sources of data were collected, edited and analyzed for the research. The
results identified the reasons why forests and forest reserves can be security
threats as indicated using examples in countries from different parts of the
world such as Colombia, Kenya, Democratic Republic of Congo and India.
The results further identified eight forests and forest reserves in the region
using their location, specie composition and present status. The security
threats they posed were examined which include bases, hideouts and
camping sites for insurgents, highway armed robbers, thieves and other
criminals. The study proposed the way out of the present insecure situation
through launching attack to dislodge the insurgent, protection of forests and
forest reserves, reforestation of degraded sections among others. These
forests and forest reserves need to be properly harnessed and developed into
recreational parks and tourist centers that will yield the much needed revenue
to the governments of northern Nigeria