Bandits attack Oyo security base, torch patrol van

On Sunday, suspected armed bandits launched a fierce assault on the Joint Security Task Force, known as Operation Burst, in the Igbeti axis of Oorelope Local Government Area of Oyo State. A security source speaking anonymously disclosed that a patrol van was set ablaze during the attack, though the subsequent sequence of events remained unclear to him.

The bandits reportedly stormed the base with a large contingent of members, but their attempts to overtake the personnel stationed on the ground were unsuccessful. In response, the command swiftly mobilized personnel from affiliated agencies to repel the hostile takeover. After the ordeal, the assailants made their escape, leaving the security personnel unharmed but their facilities in ruins.

According to another reliable source, the attackers deliberately ignited a block within the security base and a patrol van, resulting in significant damage to both structures. Preliminary investigations indicated that the bandits had arrived in considerable numbers and engaged the security personnel with weaponry described as formidable. Moreover, it was alleged that the assailants sought to overpower the security post, eliminate the personnel within, and seize their weapons.

The task force has already intensified its efforts to apprehend the perpetrators by expanding its investigative scope in the surrounding area, according to the source's report to The PUNCH.