Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
Fear has gripped residents of Oyo State’s Oke‑Ogun zone after suspected bandits launched coordinated attacks along the Kishi-Igbeti and Igboho-Igbeti road corridors on Friday and Saturday, leaving at least two persons dead and several others injured within 24 hours.
The first attack occurred around 9:30 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026, along the Kishi-Igbeti road. Gunmen ambushed a moving vehicle and opened fire, killing an electricity worker identified as Moshood Kayode, popularly known as “Mr. Kay,” and one other passenger. Several other occupants of the vehicle sustained injuries.
Initial reports suggested that the vehicle was returning from picking up a pilgrim who had just completed the 2026 Hajj exercise, but that information could not be independently confirmed. Oluwaseun, a presenter with Igbeti‑based Oloye Radio/TV, confirmed the death of the utility worker, and Ayemu of Irepo Radio in Kishi fully corroborated that Mr. Kayode was shot dead in the attack.
A second attack was carried out on Saturday afternoon, June 13, along the Igbope-Igbeti axis near the Old Oyo National Park. Eyewitnesses said heavily armed men dressed in military camouflage emerged from the forest around 3:25 p.m. and began shooting at passing vehicles. “We thought they were soldiers because of the camouflage they wore, but they suddenly started shooting at vehicles,” an eyewitness recounted.
Among the vehicles targeted were a red Volkswagen Golf and a commercial passenger bus, whose tyre was punctured by bullets. Four occupants of the Golf car, including the driver, Alhaji Rafiu Jimoh, and 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 treatment.
Security personnel, including operatives of the police, NSCDC, Amotekun Corps and local forest guards, were deployed to the scene and later secured the area. No deaths were recorded from Saturday’s attack.
The attacks have intensified concerns over growing insecurity around the Old Oyo National Park. Residents have long alleged that the park has become a hideout for kidnappers and armed gangs. They are now calling for urgent military and police operations to flush out criminal elements and restore safety along the troubled road corridors.
The violence is part of a disturbing pattern of attacks plaguing the region. In January 2026, heavily armed bandits raided a National Park Service outpost in Oloka village, killing five forest guards. In March 2026, four individuals were abducted along the same Igbeti–Kishi road. Recently, Governor Seyi Makinde confirmed that the abducted pupils and teachers from Oriire Local Government Area are being held hostage deep within the Old Oyo National Park.
Residents and community leaders are demanding sustained tactical military and police deployments to clear the forest reserves of criminal elements who are exploiting the vast terrain as a base for their operations. As one local observer noted, “The recurring cases of kidnapping and insecurity along the Igbeti-Kishi axis are alarming and require urgent government intervention.”
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