New forest guards offer hope to Kaduna residents after years of living in bondage of fear

From Noah Ebije, Kaduna
For years, residents of communities across Kaduna State have lived under the shadow of insecurity. From the forests of Birnin Gwari to the rural communities of Giwa, Chikun, Kajuru, Kachia, Kauru, Zangon Kataf and parts of Igabi and Lere, stories of kidnappings, killings, attacks on villages and highways, and millions of naira paid as ransom have become part of daily life.
Families have mourned loved ones murdered by armed gangs, farmers have abandoned fertile farmlands for fear of attack, children have missed years of education following the closure of schools, while businesses have suffered as economic activities ground to a halt in many rural communities....