By Abdulraheem Kawthar Adenike | Fact Frontier.
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Fear and tension have gripped residents of Oyo State’s Oke-Ogun zone following two coordinated attacks by suspected bandits along the Kishi-Igbeti and Igboho-Igbeti road corridors. The attacks, which occurred within 24 hours, left at least two persons dead and several others injured.
The first incident happened around 9:30 p.m. on Friday along the Kishi-Igbeti road. According to eyewitnesses, gunmen ambushed a moving vehicle and opened fire without warning. An electricity worker identified as Moshood Kayode, popularly known as “Mr. Kay,” was killed alongside one other person. Other occupants of the vehicle sustained varying degrees of gunshot injuries and are currently receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital.
Barely 24 hours later, on Saturday at about 3:25 p.m., another attack was reported along the Igbope-Igbeti axis near the Old Oyo National Park. Witnesses said heavily armed men dressed in military camouflage suddenly emerged from the forest and began shooting at passing vehicles. The attackers, initially mistaken for soldiers due to their uniform, targeted a red Volkswagen Golf and a commercial passenger bus. The bus had its tyre punctured by bullets, while four occupants of the Golf car, including the driver, Alhaji Rafiu Jimoh, and a passenger named Jubril Jelili, sustained serious gunshot wounds while travelling from Igbeti to Saki.
Despite their injuries, the victims reportedly managed to drive back to Igboho, where they were rushed to a hospital for emergency treatment.
“We thought they were soldiers because of the camouflage they wore, but they suddenly started shooting at vehicles,” a shaken eyewitness recounted. “It was a miracle that anyone survived.”
Security personnel, including operatives of the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the Amotekun Corps, and local forest guards, were quickly deployed to the scene. They later secured the area, but no arrests have been reported so far.
The attacks have intensified longstanding concerns over growing insecurity around the Old Oyo National Park, which residents allege has become a hideout for kidnappers and armed gangs. The Oke-Ogun zone, which shares borders with Kwara and Niger states, has witnessed a series of abductions and highway robberies in recent months.
Residents are now calling for urgent military and police operations to flush out criminal elements and restore safety along the troubled road corridors. “We can no longer travel freely. The government must act now before more lives are lost,” a local community leader pleaded.
As of press time, the Oyo State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incidents. However, security patrols have been intensified along the affected routes.
