By Adeyinka Adeniran
Oyo State government has vowed to go after the unknown gunmen who launched an attack on the National Park Service Office, Oloka Village, in Oriire Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday.
The attack left in its trail, the death of five Forest Guards on duty at the park.
While featuring as a guest on Channels Television on Thursday, the Special Adviser on Security to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, CP Fatai Owoseni (Rtd), said although the attack could be said to be against the state, it was specifically targeted at the NPS Office.
Noting that preliminary investigations showed that the perpetrators are from across the boarder into the state, Owoseni said the government will go after the suspects in collaboration with the grassroot people and neighbouring states, Kwara.
He assures that the state will not stereotype the criminals based on their colour or creed but would go after them.
He noted that based on intelligence reports, periodic clearance operations had been ongoing in the axis by the Nigerian Army with the local people.
He noted that following follwoing a comprehensive assessment that was done by a team comprising the state Commissioner of Police, Executive Assistant to the Governor on Security, Director of the State Service, and other heads of Security agencies in the state, the government will take it up from there and rework its security strategies.
Owoseni said, “From the situation report that we have and intelligence that were gathered, these fellows went in there, it was a cross-boarder thing and they were shouting ‘laila illailahu’ as of the time they got there. They know what their target was and they went for their targets straight away.
“Once they have a targeted mission like that, they must have done their homework. They met the people sleeping in that office, they went with dynamite, and they faced their targets.
“I will say, somehow, it was an attack against Oyo state but its to a specific target.
“That’s notwistanding, as it has been released by Governor Seyi Makinde, we will be all out for them.
“They have just done this, they followed their target.
“Like I said before, intelligence reports had indicated that, lots of things have been happening there through the various periodic clearance operations that the Nigerian Army has been carrying out in that axis with the local people, we have been having some of these intelligence reports, but when criminals targets and focus on a target, they actually know what they want.
“Investigation is ongoing, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Director of State Security Service, the Executive Assistant (Security), the whole team went to the scene yesterday (Wednesday) to do a comprehensive assessment, we will take it up from there, we will rework our strategy and offcourse, you can be sure that for us in Oyo state, it is not a matter of what colour are the criminals, we don’t look at colour, we don’t profile, Oyo state will go all out for them in collaboration with the grassroot people and neighbouring states, Kwara state.”
