Oyo government enacts nighttime restrictions in 10 local councils bordering wildlife reserve amid kidnapping at educational institution

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The Oyo State Government has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew on 10 local government areas surrounding the Old Oyo National Park as part of intensified efforts to curb insecurity, kidnapping and other criminal activities in the affected communities.

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The directive was contained in a statement on Tuesday by the state Commissioner for Information, Dotun Oyelade, and made available to The PUNCH in Ibadan, the state capital.

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According to the statement, the curfew will take effect from 4pm to 8am daily, beginning on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, and will remain in force for an initial period of 48 hours.

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“The affected local government areas are Oriire (headquarters: Ikoyi-Ile), Orelope (headquarters: Igboho), Irepo (headquarters: Kisi), Saki West (headquarters: Saki), Saki East (headquarters: Ago-Amodu), Atisbo (headquarters: Tede/Ago-Are), Itesiwaju (headquarters: Otu), Iseyin (headquarters: Iseyin), Olorunsogo (headquarters: Igbeti), and Atiba (headquarters: Offa-Meta, Oyo),” the statement read.

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The government said the measure was part of ongoing operations to flush out criminal elements allegedly using forest reserves around the Old Oyo National Park as hideouts.

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It added that security agencies had been directed to intensify surveillance and enforcement operations within the affected areas during the curfew hours.

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The statement urged residents to comply fully with the directive, noting that the restriction was necessary to restore peace and ensure the safety of lives and property across the communities.

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The curfew imposed by the Oyo State Government on 10 local government areas around the Old Oyo National Park is directly linked to the recent mass abduction of schoolchildren and teachers in the state’s Oriire axis.

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In May 2026, armed men attacked schools in communities within Oriire Local Government Area, including Yawota and Ahoro-Esinle, abducting dozens of pupils and teachers in coordinated raids that also left at least one teacher dead.

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Subsequent updates from the Oyo State Government confirmed that the abducted victims were taken into and are being held within the Old Oyo National Park corridor, a vast forest reserve spanning about 2,500 square kilometres across multiple local government areas, including the affected Oke-Ogun axis.

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Security agencies have since intensified search-and-rescue operations in the forest, which has become increasingly difficult terrain due to its size and its use as a hideout by armed groups operating across parts of Oyo State.

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Authorities say the kidnappers are believed to still be within the forest axis, prompting sustained military and police deployment.

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