Politics
Troops foil attack on NIPSS, recover stolen service rifle
The Nigerian Army disclosed this in a statement on its verified Facebook and “X” Handle on Thursday.
The army said the attack occurred at about 12:10 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, when the assailants attempted to breach the institute’s perimeter under the cover of darkness.
It said vigilant troops swiftly engaged the attackers in a gun battle, neutralising one suspect, while others escaped with gunshot wounds towards the surrounding high ground.
The army said no casualty was recorded during the encounter, except for one of the assailants who died.
It added that troops recovered an AK-pattern rifle bearing registration number CO-3175 loaded with 16 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition from the neutralised suspect.
According to the army, preliminary investigations confirmed the weapon belonged to a Nigerian Army soldier killed in action during an earlier encounter with unidentified militia elements at the Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Vom, on April 11.
It noted that the recovered rifle had been taken into military custody, while the remains of the neutralised suspect were evacuated to a mortuary through the appropriate authorities.
The army said troops had intensified area domination patrols, clearance operations and pursuit of the fleeing suspects around NIPSS Kuru and adjoining communities.
It said the measures were aimed at denying criminal elements freedom of action and ensuring the safety of residents, institute staff and other critical national assets.
The service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting lives, securing strategic institutions and restoring lasting peace in Plateau, urging residents to report suspicious movements to security agencies.
The latest attempted attack comes barely three weeks after gunmen stormed the staff quarters of the NIPSS, killing two soldiers and a police officer assigned to protect the facility.
Following the June 16 attack, NIPSS confirmed the deaths of the security personnel but assured that the situation had been brought under control through the swift intervention of security agencies, adding that participants, staff and facilities of the institute were safe.
Reports at the time indicated that the attackers appeared to have targeted the residences of the institute’s Acting Director of Studies, Nima Salman-Mann, and another senior official, Haruna Dabin, with both officials earlier receiving handwritten threat notes pasted on their doors demanding $100,000 and N15 million, respectively, days before the attack.
