Makinde Vows Decisive Response As Terrorists Kill 5 Oyo Forest Guards

Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has confirmed the bandits’ attack at the National Park, stating that it will be met with fire for fire.

The governor, in a statement issued via his X account, said the state government has deployed no-nonsense security forces to the affected area.

He said, “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.”

According to him, preliminary investigations by the security agencies indicated 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 appealed to residents of Oyo State, especially those in Oriire Local Government Area and other LGAs along 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”, he added.

Meanwhile, the Oyo Global Forum (OGF) has condemned the Tuesday night attack in the Old Oyo National Park that claimed the lives of five rangers, including two confirmed indigenes of Oyo Federal Constituency.

The group’s Chairman, Taiwo Hassan Adebayo, in a statement on Wednesday, noted that the incident clearly shows that the armed threat travelling southward from the north is no longer distant.

“It is now at our doorstep. The problem was predictable with the location of the park and its communities along vast, largely ungoverned forest corridors connecting northern Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi states, where armed criminals, including Violent Extremists, are persistently active.

“Past reports also indicated the presence of strange actors, who, from our assessment, appeared to be a cell of a terrorist organisation exploring new opportunities for entrenchment”, he said.