Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has confirmed the killing of five officers of the National Park Service during a bandit attack on the National Park office in Oloka Village, Orire Local Government Area of the state.
In a statement posted on his official Facebook page on Wednesday, the governor described the incident as a devastating loss of officers who were performing their lawful duties in service to the nation.
Governor Makinde disclosed that preliminary findings by security agencies indicate that the attack was cross-border in nature, allegedly carried out by armed bandits operating from neighbouring regions. He noted that the assailants exploited the forest terrain to launch the assault.
The governor said security agencies have intensified collaboration to address the situation and urged residents, particularly those in border communities, to support ongoing efforts by providing useful intelligence.
He appealed for calm among residents of Orire Local Government Area and other affected communities, assuring them that normalcy had been restored following the deployment of additional security personnel to the area.
Governor Makinde further pledged that the state government would work closely with federal security agencies to prevent a recurrence of such attacks. According to him, no effort would be spared in ensuring the safety of lives and property across the state.
“Let me appeal to the people of Oyo State, especially residents of Orire Local Government Area and other border communities, to remain calm. Security agencies have restored normalcy and reinforced the area with additional personnel,” he said.
“Our administration will respond decisively and take all necessary measures to ensure that this kind of attack does not happen again,” the governor added.
Meanwhile, reports from the News Agency of Nigeria indicated that the attackers struck the National Park Service office within the Old Oyo National Park at about 9 p.m., overwhelming officers on duty. Some personnel were reportedly injured, while the bodies of some of the victims were believed to be in the surrounding forest at the time of reporting.
The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the incident, stating that tactical teams, mobile police units and specialised personnel have been deployed to secure the area and track down the perpetrators.
Security sources have raised concerns over the increasing movement of armed bandits from the North-west and border areas near the Republic of Niger into forest regions in Kwara, Niger and parts of the South-west. The development has prompted renewed calls by South-west governors for stronger intelligence sharing and coordinated security operations to curb the spread of the threat.