Ex-Poachers Now Protect Nigeria's Omo Rainforest

Sunday Abiodun once tracked animals to hunt them for bushmeat, following his father's and grandfather's footsteps through Nigeria's Omo Forest Reserve for 15 years. Now he tracks poachers instead, using those same skills to find hidden wire snares and protect the wildlife he once killed.

The shift came after Abiodun noticed something troubling. Buffalo and leopards that filled the forest during his childhood had nearly disappeared, and he realized the hunting tradition he planned to pass to his son was destroying the land they depended on.

In 2017, he joined the Nigerian Conservation Foundation as a volunteer ranger. Today he's one of about 10 former hunters protecting the 130,500-hectare reserve, which shelters forest elephants, chimpanzees, and endangered white-throated monkeys.

The Nigerian Conservation Foundation started recruiting former poachers as rangers with a simple insight: the people who know the forest best are the ones who once hunted in it. Rather than fighting against local communities, the organization turned potential adversaries into partners.

"Their deep understanding of the forest, combined with appropriate training, has significantly strengthened our wildlife protection efforts while creating sustainable livelihood opportunities," says Emmanuel Olabode, who manages the project.

Dr. Mark Ofua, a wildlife veterinarian with Wild Africa, says the approach makes perfect sense. Former hunters already understand animal behavior, forest dangers, and hidden pathways that would take years for outsiders to learn.

The Ripple Effect

The program comes at a critical time for Nigerian forests. The country lost about 240,000 hectares of natural forest in 2025 alone, roughly 1.2 percent of its remaining cover, due to illegal logging and agricultural expansion.

But at Omo, the tide is turning. Rangers conduct daily anti-poaching patrols, removing snares and working with nearby villages to find alternatives to bushmeat hunting.

For Abiodun, the work has restored more than just the forest. It's given him steady income, new purpose, and a clearer conscience about the legacy he'll leave his son.

The foundation continues training more former hunters across Nigeria, proving that the best forest guardians might be the people who once threatened it most.