AT least five people have been reported dead following an attack by suspected gunmen on the National Park Service (NPS) office in Oloka, Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State, on Tuesday, January 6.
The attack occurred at about 9:00 p.m., according to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
NAN quoted the Conservator of the Park, Tesleem Kareem, as confirming the incident in an interview on Wednesday.
Kareem said an unspecified number of NPS personnel were killed during the assault, adding that efforts were ongoing to evacuate the victims.
“Yes, it is true. We are in the process of evacuating the victims,” he said.
NAN reported that at least five personnel were killed, although the exact number of casualties has yet to be officially confirmed.
The agency added that the bodies of the victims were yet to be recovered, as they were believed to be located within the surrounding forest.
The Oyo State Police Command also confirmed the incident but has yet to provide specific casualty figures.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Ayanlade Olayinka, said the Commissioner of Police and other security chiefs were on their way to the scene.
He added that tactical teams, Mobile Police Force operatives, and other security personnel had been deployed to the area to prevent further attacks and restore order.
“Yes, there was an attack by yet to be identified men against the men of the National Park. The Commissioner of Police and other service chiefs are currently on their way to the location,” Punch quoted him to have said.
While the culprits are yet to be identified, the attack has heightened concerns over the likely spread of insecurity from neighbouring Kwara State into the South-West. Kwara has in recent months witnessed a surge in bandit attacks, kidnappings, and assaults on security formations, particularly around forested border communities linking it to Niger and Kogi states.
Stakeholders and residents have also warned that criminal groups operating within the vast forest corridors spanning Kwara, Oyo, and other adjoining states could increasingly target communities in the South-West if not decisively checked.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M