The Nigerian Army has officially taken control of the vast expanses of the Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State, designating the entire ecological reserve as a tactical training ground to bolster security and neutralize criminal elements operating along the axis.
​The strategic military takeover, announced during a joint security operational briefing held on Monday, October 5, at the 2 Division Nigerian Army Headquarters in Odogbo, Ibadan, comes as a direct response to the recent violent abduction of school pupils, teachers, and local residents in the Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
​Speaking on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, stated that the military’s permanent presence in the park will eliminate vast unpoliced forest spaces that bandits and kidnappers have previously exploited as safe havens.
​”The decision to convert the Old Oyo National Park into an active military training theater is a proactive and decisive posture to secure the geopolitical zone,” Major General Nwachukwu said during the press briefing.
We are establishing a forward operational footprint that ensures our troops are continuously deployed within these forests. Criminal syndicates will no longer have room to operate, hide, or hold hostages within Oyo State or its neighboring boundaries.”
​The Old Oyo National Park, which spans over 2,500 square kilometers across several local government areas including Oriire, Atiba, Sajeku, and Irepo, has historically faced vulnerabilities due to its dense terrain and proximity to international borders.
​Major General Bamidele Alabi, General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, detailed the immediate deployment plans, confirming that heavy artillery, mechanized infantry units, and special operations forces commenced tactical maneuvers across the park’s key corridors at 06:00 AM on Tuesday, October 6.
​”Our primary target is the complete clearance of the Oriire forest axis and the surrounding reserves,” Major General Alabi stated. “We are working in close synchronization with the Oyo State Government, local intelligence networks, and park rangers to ensure that normal agricultural and economic activities outside the designated military zones can resume without fear of violence.”
​Reassuring the public on behalf of the state government, the Oyo State Special Adviser on Security Matters, retired Commissioner of Police Fatai Owoseni, confirmed that Governor Seyi Makinde approved the military’s entry into the reserve to guarantee long-term safety for rural communities.
​”The safety of our children, educators, and rural dwellers remains non-negotiable,” Owoseni noted. “This joint initiative will restore absolute confidence, secure our schools, and ensure that the perpetrators of the Oriire abductions are brought to justice.”
​Residents around the Oriire local government domain and bordering park communities have been advised not to panic upon sighting increased troop movements, low-flying aerial surveillance craft, and heavy military hardware, as the operations are strictly targeted at eradicating criminal elements from the forest reserves.
