107 rangers lost in line of duty within one year Conservator General
News & Trends •
dr okeyoyin okedeji assistant conservator -general ecological resource management of the service gave a roll call of the fallen heroes1 by ebere agozie1 goni disclosed this while delivering the speech of the president of the international rangers federation irf at the 2018 world international day celebration in abuja on tuesday1 he said that the natural world was under immense pressure through the loss of species habitat destruction climate change and environmental crime issues1 these challenges need urgent attention and the many solutions to the problems varied and are complex therefore rangers must play critical frontline role in defending our natural heritage now and always into the future. the conservator-general gave assurance that the service was working tirelessly to strengthen and equip its officers for effective park patrols.1 he noted that the service had obsolete and low calibre firearms and ammunition and required as an immediate measure light arms and ammunition for effective park operations1 we are working in collaboration with the nigerian army the directorate of state services dss and the nigeria police force in fighting insurgency banditry and cattle rustling in the park1 this will help reduce the constant conflicts between the park staff and cattle grazers in the park as a result of the lack of designated cattle routes and functional grazing reserves which had led to death of many staff and others getting maimed1 we will rehabilitate access roads to ease park surveillance and anti-poaching patrol to boost wildlife viewing and enhance park monitoring and evaluation he said1 alhaji ibrahim goni conservator general national parks service nps says 107 rangers lost their lives worldwide in the line of duty between july 31 2017 and july 31 20181 we lost 107 rangers worldwide africa 63 nigeria 3 and a total of 29 officers died in active service since the inception of the national park he said1 in his good will message dr rufus ebegba director general national biosafety management agency nbma congratulated the rangers who risked their lives to protect the environment1 i give you my gallant salute for preserving and conserving our natural resources1 i also congratulate the conservator-general for what he has been doing in reviving the national park to meet the international standard and wish that rangers are properly kited and well armed for law enforcement1 our country is very dangerous when it comes to enforcing the law people lose their lives trying to protect the law he said1 mr jonah moses one of the rangers thanked the conservator general for the training given to the rangers to be able to carry out their jobs effectively1 the service in conjunction with health is wealth for life sustainability in africa as part of the world rangers celebration held a medical outreach programme on malaria testing and treatment in three park headquarters neighbouring communities1 the communities are kuchigoro karemajiji and ruga all in the federal capital territory1