Frank Okon

Suspected bandits on Tuesday night attacked the old National Park Service (NPS) office in Oloka, Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing an unspecified number of personnel.

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The Conservator of the Park, Tesleem Kareem, confirmed the incident on Wednesday in Ibadan during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN). He said the exact number of casualties had not yet been determined.

“Yes, it is true. We are currently in the process of evacuating the victims,” Kareem said.

According to NAN, the attack occurred at about 9:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Security sources said at least five NPS personnel were killed during the assault. The bodies of the victims have yet to be recovered and are believed to be located within the surrounding forest.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the state, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, also confirmed the attack. He said the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, alongside other security chiefs, was on the way to the scene.

Olayinka added that the Commissioner had deployed tactical teams, Mobile Police Force personnel, and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units to the area to prevent further breakdown of law and order.

Nigeria has in recent years faced persistent security challenges linked to banditry and jihadist violence across different regions of the country. Armed bandit groups, initially associated with cattle rustling and kidnapping for ransom in the North-West, have expanded their operations southwards, targeting rural communities, highways, and security formations.

At the same time, jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and its offshoot, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), have continued attacks in the North-East, despite repeated military offensives. The overlapping threats have stretched security forces and raised concerns about the growing presence of armed groups in forest reserves and ungoverned spaces across the country.