The Oyo State Government has imposed a 16-hour curfew across 10 local government areas bordering the Old Oyo National Park as security agencies intensify efforts to rescue more than 40 pupils, teachers, and school officials abducted from schools in Oriire Local Government Area on 15 May.
Approved by Governor Seyi Makinde, the curfew takes effect on Wednesday and will run daily from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. for an initial period of 48 hours. The affected local government areas are Oriire, Oorelope, Irepo, Saki West, Saki East, Atisbo, Itesiwaju, Iseyin, Olorunsogo, and Atiba.
Announcing the measure in a statement on Tuesday, the Secretary to the State Government, Musibau Babatunde, said the restriction was intended to support ongoing security operations in communities bordering the national park.
He urged residents of the affected areas to comply fully with the directive and cooperate with security agencies to ensure the successful implementation of the curfew.
The announcement comes as security forces intensify search-and-rescue operations around the Old Oyo National Park, reportedly sealing off key escape routes used by the abductors.
However, the state government did not immediately disclose specific security threats that necessitated the curfew.
The measure follows growing security concerns across Oyo State in the wake of the mass abduction.
The abduction
On 15 May, armed gunmen attacked three schools in the Ahoro-Esinle and Yawota communities of Oriire Local Government Area, abducting dozens of pupils, teachers, and school officials. The affected schools were Baptist Nursery and Primary School, Yawota; Community Grammar School, Esinle; and L.A. Primary School, Esinle.
During the attack, the gunmen abducted dozens of pupils, teachers and school officials and took them into the forests surrounding the Old Oyo National Park. Days later, one of the abducted teachers, mathematics teacher Michael Oyedokun, was reportedly beheaded by his captors while in captivity.
The incident sparked widespread outrage across the state, leading to school closures and protests by residents and civil society groups demanding swift government action to secure the victims’ release.
Since the abduction, security agencies have conducted extensive operations across forests and remote communities surrounding the national park.
The rescue efforts have also claimed lives. Addressing protesters in Ibadan on 16 June, Governor Makinde disclosed that a Nigerian Army lieutenant was killed during a rescue mission.
“We have lost men, even soldiers. I can confirm to you that a lieutenant in the Nigerian Army was killed two days ago,” the governor said.
Makinde vowed that Oyo State would not allow the incident to become a prolonged national tragedy similar to the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ kidnapping.
He added that security agencies were deploying all available resources to secure the victims’ safe return while minimising further loss of life.
Security concerns around Old Oyo national park
The Old Oyo National Park and its surrounding forests have increasingly drawn attention over their alleged use by criminal groups involved in kidnapping, banditry, and other violent crimes.
In January, gunmen killed five officers of the National Park Service during an attack on the National Park Office in Oloka Village, Oriire Local Government Area.
Security experts have repeatedly warned that the vast forest corridors linking parts of Oyo, Kwara, and Niger states provide cover and mobility for armed groups operating across state boundaries.
Residents of communities surrounding the park have also expressed concern over recurring kidnappings, violent attacks, and security breaches in recent years.
The latest curfew is expected to restrict movement across the affected local government areas while security forces continue operations in and around the forest belt.
