The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Abimbola Akeem Owoade, has issued a strong condemnation of the recent attack on Oloko village and the killing of civilians and forest rangers within Old Oyo National Park, describing the incident as an assault on Yoruba heritage and ancestral legacy.
In a proclamation delivered at the Imperial Court in Oyo on Saturday, the monarch expressed sympathy with the families of the slain forest guards and other victims, and demanded urgent action to restore security in the area.
“The recent brutal killings inside Old Oyo National Park — especially the massacre at Oloko — is not merely a security breach. It is a dagger plunged into the heart of our ancestral empire. Our sacred forests and historic grounds are now being turned into slaughter fields by armed marauders. This will not stand,” the Alaafin declared.
The monarch announced a series of measures aimed at strengthening security across the Oyo-Oduduwa corridor. These include an official condemnation of the attack, a call for a full and transparent investigation, and the immediate arrest of all perpetrators.
He also declared Otefon village as a proposed permanent military base to fortify the region and secure the national park. In addition, he called for the deployment of a Yoruba Defence Force battalion under joint command of the Nigerian Army and traditional security structures to patrol the park round-the-clock.
The Alaafin further appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Ministry of Defence to grant federal recognition to Otefon as a Strategic National Security Zone and to support the construction of barracks, watchtowers and related security infrastructure in the coming months.
Describing banditry and wider security challenges as “gory, worrisome and disturbing”, Oba Owoade said security remained critical to national survival and the prevention of chaos and disorder.
He commended President Tinubu’s administration for demonstrating commitment to tackling insecurity, adding that decisive action was now required to protect lives, heritage sites and communities.
“Our ancestors did not build empires to watch them crumble under banditry,” the monarch said. “We will rebuild the walls — not with silence, but with resolve.”
