The Nigerian Army has taken over the Old Oyo National Park and converted the vast forest reserve into a permanent training ground following the abduction of more than 40 schoolchildren and teachers in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State.
The General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Nigerian Army, Maj.-Gen. Auwal Mahmoud, disclosed this while receiving members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, at the division’s headquarters in Ibadan.
Mahmoud said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Waidi Shuaibu, ordered the division to take over the entire stretch of the park for military training.
He said the measure was designed to prevent criminals from using the forest as a hideout and avert a recurrence of the Oriire abduction.
The development followed the May 15, 2026 abduction of more than 40 pupils and teachers from Community High School, Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinle, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School in Oriire. The victims remained in captivity for 56 days before security forces rescued them on July 10.
The rescue operation involved the Nigerian Army, Office of the National Security Adviser, Department of State Services, Nigeria Police Force, Amotekun Corps and local hunters, among other security and community-based personnel.
However, the Nigerian Army’s decision to establish a permanent training ground in the park is expected to increase military activity within the forest and deny kidnappers the opportunity to establish hideouts there.
The park’s difficult terrain had posed challenges to security operations, making sustained military presence and training within the area significant to efforts to tackle criminal activities.
The Army said the takeover forms part of measures to strengthen security around vulnerable communities and prevent another major abduction in the area.
By Musekir Faisat OmolaraÂ
