According to a report by Vanguard News on Friday, June 26, 2026, several members of Iru Ekun, a private security outfit linked to Yoruba Nation campaigner Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho, sustained gunshot injuries after they were reportedly ambushed by suspected cross-border bandits during an operation inside the Old Oyo National Park in Oyo State.
The operatives were said to have embarked on a mission to track down and flush out suspected kidnappers and other armed criminal groups believed to be using the forest reserve as a base of operation. The vast national park has for years been associated with reports of criminal hideouts due to its dense vegetation and difficult terrain.
Sources familiar with the operation disclosed that the team first deployed surveillance drones to identify suspected camps and monitor the movement of armed groups before advancing further into the forest. The aerial technology reportedly helped direct the operatives as they moved in to confront the suspected criminals.
However, the operation allegedly turned violent when the team came under heavy gunfire from armed men believed to be members of cross-border criminal networks operating in the area. The attackers reportedly launched a coordinated ambush, triggering a fierce exchange of gunfire within the forest.
Several members of the Iru Ekun team were reportedly wounded during the gun battle, although the exact number of casualties had not been officially confirmed as of the time the report was filed. The injured operatives were said to have been evacuated for medical attention, but details about their condition were not immediately available.
The incident has renewed concerns over the increasing activities of suspected kidnappers, bandits, and other armed groups operating in forests and remote communities across parts of Nigeria’s South-West. Forest corridors in the region have continued to pose security challenges because of their limited accessibility and surveillance.
Meanwhile, efforts to obtain an official response from the Oyo State Police Command were unsuccessful. Calls to the Command’s spokesperson, DSP Olayinka Ayanlade, were not answered, and no official statement had been issued regarding the incident at the time of filing the report.
