Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, on Wednesday urged residents to remain calm following a deadly attack by suspected bandits on the National Park Service office in Oloka Village, Oriire Local Government Area of the state, which claimed the lives of five forest guards.
The governor assured residents that his administration would take decisive steps to prevent a recurrence of such attacks.
In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Sulaimon Olanrewaju, Makinde described the incident as a devastating loss and confirmed that security agencies were already responding.
“Earlier today, there was a criminal attack by bandits at the National Park Office, Oloka Village, which resulted in the death of five National Park Service Forest Guard Officers.
“This is a devastating loss of the lives of personnel in the course of carrying out their lawful duties. May their souls rest in peace,” the governor said.
Makinde disclosed that preliminary investigations by security agencies suggested that the attack was cross-border in nature.
“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,” he added.
He appealed to residents of border communities to remain calm, assuring them that security had been reinforced in the affected areas.
“Let me appeal to residents of the 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. Our administration will leave no stone unturned to respond decisively to prevent a recurrence of such attacks,” the statement read.
Confirming the incident, the Oyo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the attack was carried out by yet-to-be-identified armed men targeting personnel of the National Park Service.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Police Command, CP Femi Haruna, alongside other security chiefs, had moved to the area to assess the situation firsthand.
DSP Olayinka added that the commissioner ordered the immediate deployment of tactical teams, officers of the Mobile Police Force, and the Explosive Ordnance Disposal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to him, “the deployment is aimed at preventing further breakdown of law and order, restoring calm, and ensuring the safety of lives and property.”
The police spokesperson assured residents that security agencies were fully in control of the situation and urged the public to remain calm as investigations and security operations continue.
