Suspected armed men on Wednesday night launched another attack on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, but were repelled by security operatives after a fierce gun battle that left one of the attackers dead.
The attempted invasion occurred at about 11 p.m. on July 1 when the gunmen reportedly tried to force their way into the nation’s foremost policy institute.
Security personnel on duty responded swiftly, engaging the assailants in a gunfight that prevented them from breaching the facility’s security perimeter.
Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Thursday, the Institute’s Head of Public Affairs, Dr. Osime Samuel, said the attackers encountered “a swift and coordinated response by security forces” after engaging security personnel in “a fierce exchange of gunfire.”
According to the statement, one of the attackers was neutralised during the operation, while several others fled the scene with varying degrees of gunshot injuries.
The Institute said its security architecture remained effective, stressing that the attackers failed to gain access to the premises.
It added that all participants in the Senior Executive Course, members of staff, residents and facilities within the Institute were safe and unharmed.
The statement further disclosed that security agencies had intensified efforts to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects, while surveillance operations and other preventive security measures had been strengthened in and around the institution.
The latest attempted invasion comes just weeks after another attack by gunmen who similarly attempted to breach the Institute’s premises but were unsuccessful.
