Several members of a private security outfit linked to Yoruba Nation campaigner, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, were reportedly injured after suspected cross-border bandits ambushed them during an operation inside the Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State.
The incident was said to have occurred while operatives of Iru Ekun, a security outfit associated with Igboho, were tracking suspected kidnappers and armed criminals believed to be operating within the expansive forest reserve.
Sources familiar with the operation said the team had deployed surveillance drones to identify suspected criminal hideouts and monitor the movements of armed groups before advancing into the area.
However, the operation reportedly turned violent when the operatives came under attack from heavily armed men suspected to be members of cross-border criminal networks.
The suspected bandits were said to have opened fire on the advancing security personnel, leading to a fierce gun battle inside the forest.
Several members of the Iru Ekun team were reportedly wounded during the exchange, although the exact number of injured operatives had not been officially confirmed as of the time of filing this report.
The attack has renewed concerns over the activities of suspected kidnappers, bandits and other armed groups operating in forests and remote communities across parts of the South-West.
Old Oyo National Park has in recent times attracted security attention amid reports of criminal hideouts and movements of armed groups within forest corridors linking communities in Oyo and neighbouring areas.
Efforts to obtain an official reaction from the Oyo State Police Command were unsuccessful as of press time.
The post “Gun Battle Inside Old Oyo Forest” — Sunday Igboho-Linked Security Operatives Injured In Suspected Bandits’ Ambush appeared first on TheNigeriaLawyer.
