The Nigerian military has received 925 newly trained Borno Forest Guards to support counterterrorism operations across the northeastern state, which has faced years of attacks by Boko Haram and other armed groups.
The guards, drawn from all 27 local government areas of Borno State, completed two weeks of training before being handed over to the military.
They are expected to use their knowledge of local terrain, languages and cultural practices to assist troops in intelligence gathering, identifying threats and supporting security operations in forest communities.
The deployment forms part of efforts to strengthen cooperation between security forces and local communities as Nigeria continues its campaign against insurgency in the northeast.