Serious Security Threat!” Gani Adams Raises Alarm Over Old Oyo National Park

Adams said the park, which shares proximity with Niger State, has for years served as a strategic entry route for armed groups operating within the region.

He made the remarks in an interview with Saturday Punch, while expressing alarm over rising bandit and terrorist activities in forests across the South-West.

According to him, he previously led operatives of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), alongside local hunters and vigilantes, in 2020 to flush out armed criminals from the forest.

He noted, however, that the groups have since returned due to poor coordination in forest monitoring and weak border security systems.

Adams said, “The Old Oyo National Park, in a certain area, is only about 60 kilometres from Niger State, and terrorists have been operating in that forest since 2020.

“We dislodged them after residents of Kishi invited OPC members, local hunters and vigilantes to clear them out. During that operation, we recovered about four AK-47 rifles and some vehicles, which were handed over to the police area commander. After that, cases of kidnapping in Kishi, Oriire and Ago-Are reduced.”

He further warned that the dense nature of the forest has made it difficult for both residents and security agencies to effectively track the armed groups.

“The forest is very thick, and the terrorists have returned and resumed attacks on our people. They know the terrain better than the locals,” he said.

“They can move from that forest to Sokoto State on foot, day and night. They have even chased our hunters away from the area.

“Most forests in the South-West where these criminals operate are government reserves, and they are being used as infiltration routes from the Niger axis.”

Adams had earlier claimed that terrorists had infiltrated 40 out of the 164 local government areas in the South-West, warning that the region’s interconnected forest network allows armed groups to move freely across state borders and establish hideouts.

He also criticised South-West governors for what he described as a slow and reactive approach to the growing insecurity.

According to him, the situation could have been better controlled if there had been stronger forest surveillance and rural security coordination.

“If South-West governments allow collaboration with the South-West Security Stakeholders, a coalition of 14 groups we established years ago, we can flush out these criminals from our forests,” he said.

He added that several villages in affected areas have already been abandoned, blaming state leaders for politicising security issues and failing to act proactively.