Gunmen have invaded Oyo National Park located in the Oke Ogun geopolitical zone of Oyo State, killing five during the shooting, although the total number of casualties had not been confirmed as of Wednesday when this report was filed.
The Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, Olayinka Ayanlade, confirmed the incident.
He said police officers and other security agencies were already on their way to the park.
Ayanlade made the confirmation in a statement sent to journalists on Wednesday afternoon.
“Yes, there was an attack by yet-to-be-identified men against personnel of the national park.
“The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, and other service chiefs are currently on their way to the location. Meanwhile, the Commissioner of Police, CP Femi Haruna, has deployed tactical teams, Mobile Police Force officers of the Nigeria Police Force, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit to the affected area to prevent further breakdown of law and order.”
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Meanwhile, Oyo State Gov. Seyi Makinde has described as unfortunate the attack by bandits at the Old Oyo National Park Office, Oloka village in Oriire LGA, which resulted in the death of five National Park Service Forest Guards.
In a statement issued via his X account, Makinde said that the incident, which occurred during the early hours of Wednesday, was devastating, and led to loss of lives of personnel in the course of carrying out their lawful duties.
He assured that his administration would leave no stone unturned to ensure that such attacks are not repeated.
“Preliminary investigations by the security agencies indicate that this was a cross-border attack carried out by bandits.
“The security agencies are already working together to address this incident and seek the support of residents in the area to cooperate with them in their intelligence gathering.
“Let me appeal to residents of Oyo State, especially those in Oriire LGA and other LGAs along our borders, to remain calm as the security agencies have restored normalcy and deployed more personnel to the area,” Makinde stated. NAN
