By George Omagbemi
IBADAN — October 8, 2026: The Nigerian Army has taken over the Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State and converted the area into a military training ground following the abduction and subsequent rescue of more than 40 schoolchildren and their teachers in Oriire Local Government Area.
The General Officer Commanding, 2 Division Nigerian Army, Major-General Auwalu Mahmuda, disclosed the development on Wednesday, October 7, when he received members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, at the division’s headquarters in Odogbo, Ibadan.
Mahmuda said the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Waidi Shuaibu, directed 2 Division to use the park as a training site after the rescue of the Oriire victims.
According to the GOC, the military takeover is intended to make the vast forest area more difficult for kidnappers and other criminal groups to use as a hideout.
The Oriire victims were abducted on May 15, 2026, during coordinated attacks on three schools in the local government area. They were held for 56 days before joint security forces rescued them on July 10.
The Army said its rescue operation focused partly on criminal networks, logistics links and hideouts within the Old Oyo National Park forest. Several suspects were also arrested during the wider operation.
Mahmuda said maintaining a sustained military presence in the park would strengthen security while giving troops an opportunity to train in difficult forest terrain.
The GOC also appealed to journalists to verify security-related information with the military before publication, warning that misinformation and unverified reports could complicate security operations.
The Army’s takeover represents a significant change in the security posture around the park, which authorities had identified as one of the areas exploited by criminal groups during the Oriire crisis.
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