Security consultant and legal practitioner Bulama Bukarti has raised concerns about the possible whereabouts of victims abducted during recent attacks in Oyo State, warning that terrorists and criminal groups may be using national parks and forest reserves as hideouts and detention centres.
Bukarti made the statement during an interview on Channels Television on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, while reacting to reports linking some violent attacks in Oyo State and other parts of Nigeria to members of the Boko Haram insurgent group.
According to him, one of the biggest challenges facing security agencies is locating victims after they have been taken into remote and difficult-to-access areas. He explained that armed groups are increasingly exploiting vast forest reserves and protected territories to conceal their activities and avoid detection by security operatives.
The security expert noted that these locations provide strategic advantages for criminal networks, allowing them to establish camps, move hostages across long distances, and operate beyond the immediate reach of law enforcement authorities. He added that the size and terrain of many forested regions make surveillance and rescue operations particularly difficult.
“I can tell you they would either harbor and keep those children inside the old Oyo National Park or they would transport them to Kainji National park where they have already overcome,” he said.
Bukarti further stated that insurgent groups and kidnappers have adapted their methods over the years by using remote forest corridors as transit routes and operational bases. According to him, this development has made it more challenging for security agencies to dismantle criminal networks and secure the release of abducted victims.
He stressed the need for improved surveillance, intelligence gathering, and coordinated security operations to prevent criminal groups from exploiting these isolated areas and to enhance efforts aimed at rescuing victims of abduction across the country.
