The Army said the takeover of the park form part of measures to prevent the area from being used as a hideout by criminal groups.
The Nigerian Army has taken over the stretch of the Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State for military training, months after more than 46 pupils and teachers were abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area.
Punch reported that the army’s General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, discussed this on Wednesday when he received members of the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Oyo State Council, at the division’s headquarters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital
Mr Mahmuda said the Chief of Army Staff, Waidi Shuaibu, directed the division to use the park as a training site after the victims of the Oriire abduction were rescued.
He said the military’s presence in the park would make it difficult for criminal groups to continue using the forest as a hideout.
“On the order of the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. General Waidi Shuaibu, the 2 Division has taken over the entire stretch of the Old Oyo National Park as a training site in order to prevent the repeat of the Oriire kidnap saga,” Mr Mahmuda said.
The development marks a shift from the Army’s earlier deployment around the park to a more sustained military presence in the area.
In September, Mr Mahmuda visited troop locations around the Old Oyo National Park and charged soldiers to remain vigilant and maintain an aggressive posture against security threats. The visit included the Igbeti–Igboho–Sepeteri road, the headquarters of the 169 Motorcycle Battalion at Ikoyi-Ile and the Abaja Response Area in Oriire.
The army’s latest decision follows the abduction of pupils and teachers from three schools in Ahoro-Esinele and Yawota communities in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May.
Affected schools are Community High School and Community Grammar School, Ahoro-Esinle, and Yawota Baptist Nursery and Primary School. The abducted victims spent 56 days in captivity before they were rescued by security forces on 10 July.
The Army had said the rescue followed an intelligence-led operation targeting the kidnappers’ network and hideouts, including areas around the Old Oyo National Park.
Mr Mahmuda said converting the park into a military training ground would serve both operational and security purposes by keeping troops active in an area previously vulnerable to criminal activity.
He also appealed for closer cooperation between the military and the media, particularly in the verification of information relating to security operations.
“I will appeal to you to avoid publishing information without first confirming its exact and true nature with the military,” he said. “Sometimes, when unverified information is released, it can cause more harm than the information it intended to address.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, in late September had received the report of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry into abduction drawn from the account of 72 witnesses including victims and experts.
Mr Makinde stated that the state will review the report and its recommendations to identify institutional or operational failures and implement measures to prevent a recurrence.
