Troops of Operation Enduring Peace have foiled another attempted attack on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State, killing one suspected militia member and recovering a service rifle allegedly stolen from a slain soldier.
The latest incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, is the third reported attack targeting the country’s foremost policy institute within weeks, raising fresh concerns over security around the facility.
According to intelligence sources, the suspected attackers attempted to breach the security perimeter of the institute at about 12:10 a.m. under the cover of darkness.
Troops of Sector 6, deployed to protect the institution, reportedly engaged the gunmen in a fierce exchange of gunfire, killing one of the assailants, while others escaped into nearby rocky terrain.
A search of the deceased suspect led to the recovery of a service rifle bearing registration number CO-3175, which military authorities reportedly identified as one stolen during an April 11 attack on troops at the Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Vom.
The rifle, loaded with 16 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, has since been taken into military custody.
The body of the suspected attacker was evacuated to Keystone Hospital, Vom, before being deposited in a mortuary, while security forces intensified patrols around the institute to forestall further attacks.
Security sources said the recovered rifle could provide investigators with fresh leads into the activities of armed militia groups operating within the Kuru-Vom axis and their possible involvement in previous attacks on security personnel.
The April 11 attack at the Federal College of Land Resources Technology claimed the life of a soldier, with his service rifle carted away by the assailants.
The attempted assault comes barely two weeks after gunmen attacked security personnel guarding the Moderator’s Quarters at NIPSS on June 16, killing Inspector Peter Joseph of the Force Headquarters Operations Department and two soldiers.
The attackers reportedly escaped with the inspector’s service pistol and two military rifles.
Similarly, on June 29, troops, alongside other security agencies, thwarted another attempted infiltration of the institute after detecting suspicious movements around the facility, forcing the suspects to flee into nearby bushes.
Military authorities have reportedly reinforced security around NIPSS through intensified surveillance and aggressive patrols aimed at tracking down the fleeing suspects and preventing further attacks.
Operation Enduring Peace is the military task force leading counter-violence operations in Plateau State, where security forces have continued efforts to dismantle armed militia networks and restore peace in troubled communities.
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