THE Oyo State Police Command has arrested seven suspected members of an armed bandit gang linked to the January 6 attack on forest rangers at the Old Oyo National Park – an incident that claimed five lives.
The command’s spokesperson, Ayanlade Olayinka, announced the arrests in a statement on Saturday, January 31; describing the operation as a major breakthrough in the investigation into the deadly assault in the Oloka area of Orire Local Government Area.
According to the police, the suspects are part of a 10-man gang allegedly led by one of those now in custody, identified as the mastermind behind the attack.
“As earlier reported, the incident occurred on 6th January, 2026, at about 2100 hours, when the armed bandits, who reportedly arrived in large numbers on motorcycles and were armed with sophisticated firearms, invaded the Old Oyo National Park office and launched a violent attack on forest rangers and other personnel. The attack tragically resulted in the death of five (5) persons,” part of the statement read.
It added that in the aftermath of the attack, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Femi Haruna, ordered the immediate deployment of operational assets to the area and directed the Command Monitoring Unit to take over the investigation.
Police said the directive triggered an intelligence-led operation that led to the arrest of three initial suspects—Mohammed Dangi; Abubakar Abdullahi; and Sheu Usman, before four more suspects were picked up days later.
During interrogation, the suspects allegedly confessed to participating in the attack and disclosed that the gang consisted of 10 members operating on five motorcycles.
“This directive marked the commencement of an intensive, intelligence-driven operation, which led to the initial arrest of three (3) suspects, followed by the subsequent arrest of four (4) additional suspects,” the statement noted.
Investigations further revealed that the primary motive behind the assault was to forcefully free members of the gang who had earlier been arrested and held by forest guards.
On January 25, police arrested four additional suspects identified as Toro Malami, 43; Usman Alhaji Ummaru; Laolo Muhammadu, 22; and Usman Alhaji Isah, 32.
The police said the suspects had continued to provide actionable intelligence aiding efforts to track down other fleeing members of the gang.
Olayinka said operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, working alongside other security agencies, had intensified efforts to ensure all remaining suspects are arrested.
He reassured residents of the state of the police command’s commitment to protecting lives and property, warning against the spread of unverified information capable of causing panic.
According to him, the command remains resolute that Oyo State will not be allowed to become a safe haven for criminal elements.
The ICIR reported how the attack threw the area into panic.
Although the identities of the attackers were initially unknown, the assault heightened fears of the spread of insecurity from neighbouring Kwara State into the South-West.
Kwara has in recent months recorded a rise in bandit attacks and kidnappings, particularly around forested border communities linking it with Niger and Kogi states.
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