Suspected gunmen, on Tuesday night, attacked the Old Oyo National Park Service office in Oloka, Orire Local Government Area of Oyo State, killing several officials in a daring assault that has again raised concerns over worsening insecurity around forest reserves in the South-West.
PLATFORM TIMES gathered that the attackers struck at about 9pm, overrunning the facility and shooting park personnel during the operation.
While official figures were still being reconciled as of Wednesday, reliable sources disclosed that no fewer than five officials of the National Park Service were killed in the attack.
Confirming the incident, the Conservator of the Park, Mr Tesleem Kareem, said the service was still evacuating victims and assessing the scale of the casualties.
“Yes, it is true. We are in the process of evacuating the victims,” Kareem told journalists in Ibadan, adding that the exact number of those killed was yet to be fully ascertained.
Sources said the bodies of some of the slain officials had not been recovered as of Wednesday morning, as they were believed to be located deep within the surrounding forest, a development that further complicated rescue and recovery efforts.
The Oyo State Police Command also confirmed the attack.
The Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, said the Commissioner of Police, alongside other security chiefs, had moved to the area to personally assess the situation.
According to him, tactical police teams, operatives of the Mobile Police Force and personnel of the Explosive Ordnance Disposal unit had been deployed to the affected community to prevent a further breakdown of law and order.
The attack comes amid growing concerns over the activities of armed groups around forest corridors linking parts of Oyo State to neighbouring states, with residents and security operatives increasingly coming under threat.
Efforts to get further details from security authorities on arrests or the identity of the attackers were ongoing as of the time of filing this report.
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