Army Recovers AK-47, Destroys Criminal Hideouts In Old Oyo National Park

Troops of the Nigerian Army have killed a suspected criminal, recovered an AK-47 rifle and destroyed makeshift shelters during a fresh operation to flush out criminal elements from the Old Oyo National Park.

The operation, carried out on November 7 and 8 by troops of Operation IGBO DANU II under the Army’s 2 Division, also resulted in the recovery of an empty magazine and a Dane gun.

The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a statement on Monday, explaining that its troops, alongside hybrid forces, encountered suspected criminals while conducting an operation inside the park on November 7.

According to the statement, the suspects fled after sighting the advancing troops, who subsequently recovered the weapons from the area.

A follow-up operation on November 8 led to the discovery of the corpse of one of the fleeing suspects, which the Army said confirmed the neutralisation of a criminal element.

The troops also destroyed temporary shelters suspected to have been used by the criminals as hideouts, in a move aimed at denying them safe locations within the forest.

The Army said efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and prevent them from regrouping.

The operation is part of the military’s campaign against criminal networks operating within forested areas under the 2 Division’s area of responsibility.

The latest development comes months after 46 pupils and teachers were abducted from three schools in Oriire Local Government Area of Oyo State on May 15, 2026, and taken into the Old Oyo National Park.

The victims spent 56 days in captivity before they were rescued on July 10 in an intelligence-led operation involving the military and other security agencies.

Following the incident, the Army said it intensified operations against the kidnappers’ networks, informants and hideouts within the park.

In October, the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, Major General Auwalu Mahmuda, announced that the military had taken over the entire park as a training ground to prevent criminal groups from using the vast forest as a hideout.

The Army said the latest operation formed part of its continued efforts to dismantle criminal networks and improve security in the area.