Gunmen on Tuesday night attacked the National Park Service office in Oloka, Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing four personnel and leaving another officer critically injured. The incident has raised fresh concerns about the spread of insecurity into parts of the South-West region.
The attack, which occurred at about 9:00 p.m., targeted officers on duty at the National Park Service facility in the rural Oloka community. Preliminary reports indicate that at least five personnel were affected during the violent assault.
A source within Orire Local Government Area confirmed that five officers were attacked during the incident. According to the source, four officers died on the spot, while the fifth sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving medical treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
The Oyo State Police Command has confirmed the incident. The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the attack was carried out by yet-to-be-identified armed men who stormed the National Park Service office at night.
DSP Olayinka said the Commissioner of Police in Oyo State, CP Femi Haruna, had immediately mobilised security agencies to respond to the incident.
He disclosed that the Commissioner of Police, alongside other heads of security agencies in the state, was already on the way to the affected area to assess the situation firsthand and coordinate security operations.
Following the attack, the Oyo State Police Command ordered the immediate deployment of tactical teams to Oloka and surrounding communities. These include officers from the Mobile Police Force and the Explosive Ordinance Disposal (EOD) Unit of the Nigeria Police Force.
According to the police, the deployment is aimed at preventing further attacks, restoring calm in the area, and ensuring the safety of residents and public facilities.
“The deployment is aimed at preventing further breakdown of law and order, restoring calm, and ensuring the safety of lives and property,” DSP Olayinka said.
He added that security agencies are fully on top of the situation and urged residents to remain calm while investigations and security operations continue.
The deadly attack has thrown Oloka and nearby communities into fear and confusion. Residents described the incident as shocking, especially as the area is known to be relatively quiet compared to other parts of the country facing frequent attacks.
Some residents said they heard gunshots late in the night but did not realize the scale of the attack until news spread the following morning.
Community members expressed concern about their safety and called on the government to strengthen security presence in the area, especially around forest zones.
The National Park Service is responsible for protecting Nigeria’s national parks, wildlife, and forest reserves. Its officers, often referred to as park rangers, also help in preventing illegal activities such as poaching, illegal logging, and farming within protected areas.
In recent years, park rangers across the country have increasingly come under threat from armed criminal groups. Many forest reserves and national parks are located in remote areas, making them vulnerable to attacks by bandits and other criminal elements.
Some criminal groups are believed to use forest areas as hideouts, launching attacks on nearby communities and security formations.
Although the attackers in the Oyo incident are yet to be identified, the attack has increased concerns about the possible spread of insecurity from neighbouring states into Oyo and other parts of the South-West.
Kwara State, which shares borders with Oyo, has in recent months recorded a rise in bandit attacks, kidnappings, and assaults on security formations. Many of these incidents have occurred in forested border communities linking Kwara to Niger and Kogi states.
Residents and community leaders have also raised alarms that criminal elements operating within the vast forest belts across Kwara, Oyo, and nearby states could extend their activities into the South-West if not firmly confronted.
Before the latest attack, residents in parts of Oyo State had already expressed concerns about strange movements around forest areas. Farmers and hunters had complained of unfamiliar armed men sighted deep in the forests, especially near border communities.
Some community leaders had earlier called for increased patrols and collaboration between state governments and security agencies to secure forest zones.
Tuesday night’s attack has now added urgency to those calls, with many residents fearing that the area could become a new target for criminal groups.
Police authorities say investigations have begun to identify the attackers and determine how they gained access to the National Park Service office.
Security sources said efforts are ongoing to gather intelligence, track possible escape routes, and identify any links to known criminal groups operating in nearby states.
The police have assured the public that those responsible for the attack will be brought to justice.
The attack on a security-related government facility has raised questions about the safety of officers working in remote areas and the need for better protection and equipment.
They argue that without proper security, forest reserves could continue to serve as safe havens for criminals, increasing threats to nearby towns and villages.
As security operations continue in Oloka and surrounding areas, residents hope that the perpetrators will be arrested quickly and that measures will be put in place to prevent further attacks.
The killing of four National Park Service personnel in Oyo State has added to growing fears about insecurity creeping into the South-West. While the region has largely been calmer compared to other parts of Nigeria, recent incidents suggest that criminal networks may be expanding their reach.