The Oyo state police command says it has arrested seven members of a 10-man armed banditry gang allegedly responsible for the January 6 attack on forest rangers at the Old Oyo National Park, which left five persons dead.
Ayanlade Olayinka, the command’s public relations officer,
disclosed this in a statement issued on Saturday, describing the arrests as a
“significant operational breakthrough.”
He said the suspects include the alleged mastermind and
ringleader of the attack carried out in the Oloka area of Orire LGA of the
state.
“As earlier reported, the incident occurred on 6th January,
2026, at about 2100 hours, when the armed bandits, who reportedly arrived in
large numbers on motorcycles and were armed with sophisticated firearms,
invaded the Old Oyo National Park office and launched a violent attack on
forest rangers and other personnel. The attack tragically resulted in the death
of five (5) persons,” he said.
Olayinka added that following the attack, Femi Haruna,
commissioner of police in Oyo state, ordered the immediate deployment of
operational assets to the area and directed the command monitoring unit to take
over the investigation.
“This directive marked the commencement of an intensive,
intelligence-driven operation, which led to the initial arrest of three (3)
suspects, followed by the subsequent arrest of four (4) additional suspects,”
Olayinka said.
The three suspects first arrested were identified as
Mohammed Dangi, 52; Abubakar Abdullahi; and Sheu Usman.
“During sustained interrogation, the suspects confessed to
the crime and provided detailed accounts of how ten (10) members of their armed
banditry group, riding on five motorcycles, carried out the attack,” he said.
“Crucially, investigations revealed that the primary
intention of the assailants was to forcefully free members of their armed
banditry syndicate who had earlier been arrested and were in the custody of
forest guards… which they successfully did during the attack.”
Olayinka said further intelligence-led investigations
resulted in the arrest of four additional suspects on January 25.
They were identified as Toro Malami, 43; Usman Alhaji
Ummaru; Laolo Muhammadu, 22; and Usman Alhaji Isah, 32.
The police spokesperson said the suspects have continued to
provide “credible and actionable intelligence” to aid the arrest of other
fleeing gang members.
“Operatives of the Command Monitoring Unit, in collaboration
with other security agencies, are intensifying efforts to ensure that all
remaining suspects are tracked down and brought to justice,” he said.
He reassured residents of the command’s commitment to
safeguarding lives and property across the state, warning against the spread of
unverified information capable of causing panic.
“The Oyo State Police Command states unequivocally that Oyo
State will never be allowed to serve as a safe haven for criminal elements,” he
added.
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