Breakthrough as Police Arrest Mastermind, Six Others Over Murder of Oyo Forest Rangers
The Oyo State Police Command has recorded a significant breakthrough following the arrest of seven suspects linked to the January 6, 2026, massacre of five forest rangers at the Old Oyo National Park. Among those in custody is the alleged mastermind and ringleader of a ten-man banditry gang that orchestrated the deadly assault in the Oloka area of Orire Local Government Area.
The arrests were the result of an intensive, intelligence-led operation coordinated by the Command Monitoring Unit under the direction of the Commissioner of Police, Femi Haruna. Authorities confirmed that the suspects were apprehended at various hideouts across the country after a weeks-long manhunt involving the deployment of several operational assets.
According to a statement released on Saturday by the Command’s Public Relations Officer, DSP Ayanlade Olayinka, the first wave of arrests included Mohammed Dangi, 52; Abubakar Abdullahi; and Sheu Usman. Their interrogation subsequently led detectives to four additional suspects on January 25, identified as Toro Malami, 43; Usman Alhaji Ummaru; Laolo Muhammadu, 22; and Usman Alhaji Isah, 32.
“The suspects confessed to the crime and provided detailed accounts of how ten members of their armed banditry group, riding on five motorcycles, carried out the attack,” DSP Olayinka stated. He further revealed that the motive behind the violent raid was a rescue mission. Investigations showed the assailants intended to forcefully free fellow syndicate members who had been previously arrested by forest guards for criminal activities within the park and surrounding border communities.
The original incident occurred around 9:00 PM on January 6, when the gang, armed with sophisticated firearms, invaded the National Park Service (NPS) office. The ensuing violence resulted in the deaths of five park officials, whose bodies were initially lost to the dense surrounding forest before being recovered during subsequent evacuation efforts.
The Commissioner of Police, CP Femi Haruna, described the arrests as a "significant operational breakthrough" in the quest for justice.
While seven suspects are currently providing actionable intelligence to the police, the Command has urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information that could cause panic. Security agencies maintain that normalcy has been restored to the Orire axis, though tactical teams remain on high alert to ensure the total neutralisation of the criminal cell responsible for the tragedy.
