Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, warned in 2020 that bandits from Mali were attempting to enter Nigeria through the Saki border.
The warning has returned to public attention amid fresh security concerns in Oyo following a deadly attack on a government facility this week.
Last Tuesday, suspected bandits stormed the Old Oyo National Park Service office in Oloka, Orire local government area, killing at least five park officials.
The attackers reportedly struck around 9 pm, seized weapons from the facility, and escaped into the surrounding forest.
Ayanlade Olayinka, state police spokesperson, confirmed the incident, saying the identity of the attackers had yet to be established.
He said Femi Haruna, commissioner of police, had deployed tactical units while senior security officers conducted an on-the-spot assessment.
The governor of Oyo said preliminary findings indicated that the assailants crossed into the state specifically to carry out the operation.
He appealed to residents to cooperate with security agencies, adding that joint efforts were ongoing to contain the situation.
Oyo has in the past experienced a series of bandit-related incidents, including highway kidnappings, attacks on rural settlements, and criminal activity in forested areas.
One of the most notable incidents occurred in 2021 in Igangan, Ibarapa North local government area, where more than 15 residents were killed and properties were destroyed.
The Igangan attack intensified national debates about herder-farmer tensions and the infiltration of organised criminal groups into the south-west.
When he first raised the alarm in 2020, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, described the development as an international security concern.
He called for vigilance and federal intervention to prevent displaced armed groups from the Sahel region from establishing a presence in the south-west.
He also expressed fears that bandits fleeing military operations in the north-west were moving southwards in search of new bases.
Gani Adams, aare ona kakanfo of Yorubaland, echoed those concerns in 2020, warning that armed groups disguised as herdsmen were infiltrating forests across the south-west.
“The Ààrẹ Ona Kakanfo-in-Council has in its possession credible intelligence, gathered from within and outside the country, which strongly indicates the infiltration of terrorists and killer Fulani herdsmen in the region,” Adams said.
He added, “More worrisome, the intelligence report also reveals that suspected ISIS operatives have already positioned themselves in Niger state via Ìbàrùbáland and are now within the Òkè-ògùn corridor of Oyo state.”
The Nigerian army rejected the claim at the time, saying the alert was being “magnified” and posed no immediate threat to Oyo state.
Although investigations into the Old Oyo National Park attack are still ongoing, the incident has renewed attention on the earlier warnings about cross-border threats.
Security agencies have yet to establish whether the assailants involved in the latest attack are linked to any of the groups highlighted in the 2020 alerts.
The incident has nonetheless revived public debate about the vulnerability of south-west border communities and forested corridors to armed infiltration.
As authorities continue their probe, the resurfaced warnings from Makinde and Adams have become part of a wider conversation about Nigeria’s evolving security challenges.
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