RismadarVoice Reporters
January 31, 2026
The Oyo State Police Command has arrested seven suspected bandits in connection with the attack on Old Oyo National Park in the Oloka area of Orire Local Government Area, during which five park officials lost their lives.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Saturday in Ibadan by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Olayinka Ayanlade.
According to the statement, the attack occurred on Tuesday, January 6, 2026, at about 9:00p.m., when an armed banditry group invaded the National Park office on motorcycles and launched an assault on forest rangers and other personnel.
Following the incident, the Commissioner of Police, CP Femi Haruna, ordered the immediate deployment of operational assets to the area and directed the Command Monitoring Unit to take over the investigation.
Ayanlade said the command recorded a major breakthrough with the arrest of seven members of the suspected ten-man gang, including the alleged mastermind and ring leader of the attack.
“The arrests followed an intensive, intelligence-driven operation, which led to the initial apprehension of three suspects and the subsequent arrest of four others at different locations across the country,” the statement said.
The suspects were identified as Mohammed Dangi, Abubakar Abdullahi, Sheu Usman, Toro Malami, Usman Alhaji Ummaru, Laolo Muhammadu, and Usman Alhaji Isah.
Police investigations revealed that the attackers’ primary objective was to free members of their gang who had earlier been arrested and were being held by forest guards for criminal activities within the National Park and surrounding communities.
The statement added that the suspects have made confessional statements and are providing useful intelligence to aid efforts to apprehend other fleeing members of the gang.
