Security forces repel second attack on Plateau policy institute
Security operatives repelled a second attack on NIPSS in Plateau State, killing one assailant, two weeks after a deadly assault on the institute.
Security operatives repelled a fresh attack on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State, killing one suspected assailant in the process. The attack occurred late Wednesday night, barely two weeks after armed men struck the same facility, killing three security operatives.
The assailants targeted the residences of the Acting Director of Studies, Barrister Nima Salman-Mann, and a Directing Staff, Professor Haruna Dabin. Security personnel engaged the attackers in a gun duel, forcing them to retreat. One assailant was neutralised during the encounter, while others escaped with varying degrees of injury.
The institute confirmed that there was no breach of the security perimeter and that all participants, staff and residents remain safe. Security agencies have intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects, and surveillance has been strengthened within and around the institute.
The two attacks on NIPSS within a fortnight raise troubling questions. The institute is not a military installation or a political target. It is a policy research and training centre. That armed men would target it twice suggests either a specific grudge against the institute’s leadership, or a broader degradation of security in Plateau State that has made even well-guarded institutions vulnerable.
Plateau State has long been a flashpoint for communal violence and farmer-herder conflicts. The recent attacks on NIPSS suggest that the insecurity is spreading beyond the traditional flashpoints. If a federal institute with dedicated security personnel cannot be protected, the prospects for ordinary residents are worse.
The winners: the security operatives who repelled the attack. The losers: the families of the three security operatives killed in the previous attack, and the staff and participants at NIPSS, who now work and study under the shadow of repeated assault.
Bottom Line: Two attacks in two weeks on a policy institute. The message is clear: no institution is safe in Plateau State.