KISHI/IGBETI — A fresh bandit ambush along the Kishi-Igbeti road in Oyo State has left one person shot dead, triggering widespread outrage and urgent demands for immediate government intervention to secure the route.
The brazen attack, which occurred late Friday, June 12, 2026, has further amplified regional anxieties that the vast Old Oyo National Park and its adjoining forest reserves are rapidly transforming into a fortified stronghold for bandits and kidnapping syndicates.
During the incident, armed men operating from the forest cover opened fire on a traveling vehicle. Tragically, the gunfire resulted in the immediate death of an electricity distribution worker, widely identified by locals as Mr. Kayode, a staff member of the regional electricity company (popularly referred to as NEPA) while others are severely injured.
Initial reports that filtered into the Igbeti community around 9:30 p.m. on Friday suggested that the targeted vehicle was returning from picking up a pilgrim who had just concluded the 2026 Hajj exercise. Oluwaseun, a presenter with the Igbeti-based local news outlet, Oloye Radio/TV, shared this account while confirming the death of the utility worker.
However, Ayemu, a presenter from Irepo Radio in the neighboring town of Kishi, provided a cautious update. Ayemu stated that he could not independently verify if the occupants of the vehicle were indeed Hajj returnees, though he fully corroborated the report that Mr. Kayode was shot dead in the attack.
The recurring violence along the Kishi-Igbeti corridor has led people to point to a direct link between the deteriorating security climate and unregulated economic sabotage, particularly illegal mining.
”In my opinion, the recurring cases of kidnapping and insecurity along the Igbeti-Kishi axis of Old Oyo National Park are alarming and require urgent government intervention,” Oluwaseun of Oloye Radio/TV noted. “The abduction of four people earlier this year and recent incidents indicate a growing security threat in the area. Government should also put a stop to illegal mining activities around the axis, as they may be contributing to the insecurity. Strengthening security presence and monitoring the area closely is now essential.”
This latest ambush is part of a disturbing pattern of violent attacks plaguing the region, indicating a severe security crisis surrounding the Old Oyo National Park:
January 2026 Rangers Massacre: The sheer vulnerability of the park was brutally exposed earlier this year on January 6, 2026, when heavily armed bandits launched a coordinated nighttime assault on the National Park Service outpost in Oloka village. The devastating raid claimed the lives of five forest guards and was reportedly carried out to forcefully free suspected criminals detained by the rangers, underscoring the audacity of the gangs operating within the forest.
March 2026 Abductions: Early in March 2026, four individuals were abducted by gunmen along this exact road, an incident that served as an early warning of the growing vulnerability of the route.
Orire LGA Kidnappings: The severity of the crisis was recently underscored when the Governor of Oyo State officially confirmed that abducted schoolchildren and teachers from the Orire Local Government Area are currently being held hostage deep within the Old Oyo National Park.
Following Friday’s fatal attack, residents across the Kishi-Igbeti axis are making demands from both state and federal governments. They are demanding immediate, sustained tactical military and police deployments to clear the forest reserves of criminal elements who are utilizing the vast terrain as a base for their operations.