Suspected Bandits Kill Five in Deadly Attack on National Park Service Office in Oyo State

At least five Personnel of the National Park Service (NPS) were killed late Tuesday night when suspected bandits attacked the National Park Service office in Oloka, Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, escalating security concerns in the region.

According to multiple official and eyewitness accounts, the assault occurred at approximately 9:00 p.m. on January 6, 2026, when the armed assailants stormed the facility and opened fire on the Officers on duty.

Several others were reported critically injured and rushed to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Confirming the incident, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the Public Relations Officer of the Oyo State Police Command, stated that the attackers were “yet-to-be-identified armed men.”

He said security forces were mobilised immediately following reports of the assault.

“The Commissioner of Police, Oyo State Command, CP Femi Haruna, along with other Service Chiefs, has deployed tactical teams, Mobile Police Force Officers and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Units to the Area to restore law and order,” Olayinka said, adding that investigations into the perpetrators and motives are ongoing.

Tesleem Kareem, Conservator of the Old Oyo National Park, confirmed the attack and said authorities are still in the process of evacuating the victims.

He noted that the exact number of casualties was still being verified, as some bodies were believed to be in the surrounding forest terrain that borders the facility.

The Old Oyo National Park covers a vast forest reserve that has in recent years been linked by Security Agencies to hideouts used by criminal elements, including bandits and kidnappers, underscoring persistent challenges in securing remote and wooded areas of the South-West.

Local residents and community leaders expressed alarm following the incident, calling for enhanced security presence and intelligence operations to prevent future attacks and protect public servants stationed in remote locations.

Security Agencies have urged calm as they strengthen patrols and pursue leads to identify and apprehend those responsible.