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The Conservator of Parks, Chad Basin National Park, Conservation Police (CP) Innocent Asuquo, has called for strengthened collaboration with the Joint Task Force (North East) Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) to enhance security across national parks and forest reserves in the region.
CP Asuquo made the appeal during a courtesy visit to the Theatre Commander OPHK, Major General Abdulsalam Abubakar, at the Headquarters of OPHK in Maiduguri, Borno State.
He stressed that no single agency can effectively address the complex security challenges facing the North East, noting that forests and park reserves have increasingly become potential hideouts for terrorists and criminal elements.
According to him, deeper inter-agency cooperation is essential to prevent such groups from exploiting ungoverned spaces, while also safeguarding biodiversity and promoting environmental security.
The Conservator commended OPHK for its sacrifices and sustained operations aimed at restoring peace and stability in the region, expressing optimism that enhanced collaboration would further strengthen ongoing security efforts.
In his response, the Theatre Commander, Major General Abubakar, welcomed the initiative and reaffirmed OPHK’s commitment to building stronger partnerships with the Chad Basin National Park and other stakeholders.
He noted that the evolving security environment demands coordinated action, particularly in addressing threats within forested and difficult-to-access terrains often used by criminal groups.
The Theatre Commander emphasized the strategic importance of park authorities and forest guards in environmental protection, biodiversity management, and community development, urging proper monitoring of park assets to promote tourism while denying criminals freedom of movement.
He also assured the Conservator of continued support from OPHK, including capacity-building initiatives aimed at improving operational effectiveness in shared security spaces.
In a related development, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) has also called for deeper collaboration with OPHK to improve humanitarian access and service delivery to vulnerable populations in the North East.
The Deputy Head of Office, UN OCHA Nigeria, Ms. Patricia Mucheche, made the request during a separate courtesy visit to the Theatre Commander in Maiduguri.
She commended the Nigerian military for its continued support in facilitating humanitarian operations, noting that existing partnerships have significantly improved access to hard-to-reach communities.
Ms. Mucheche appealed for enhanced security support to enable safer and more dignified delivery of humanitarian services, particularly for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), especially as resettlement efforts and the rainy season approach.
Responding, Major General Abubakar praised UN OCHA for its sustained humanitarian interventions, describing the organisation as a reliable partner in OPHK’s non-kinetic operations.
He highlighted key areas of collaboration including food distribution, nutrition support, prevention of gender-based violence, emergency response, disaster management, and family reunification initiatives.
The Theatre Commander noted that the partnership has had significant impact on vulnerable communities, particularly through resettlement programmes that have enabled displaced persons to return to their ancestral homes and rebuild livelihoods.
He reaffirmed OPHK’s commitment to providing a secure environment for humanitarian actors, including sustained patrols, counter-IED operations, and efforts to secure major access routes across the theatre.
Major General Abubakar assured all partners of continued support in creating safe humanitarian corridors and protected zones for displaced populations.
The visits featured exchange of souvenirs, signing of visitors’ registers, and group photographs.
Senior military officers present included the Deputy Theatre Commander, Air Vice Marshal Olusola Akinboyewa, Chief of Staff Headquarters OPHK, Brigadier General Sani Ahmed, Component Commanders, and other senior officers of the Theatre Command.
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