Military kill suspect during renewed attack on NIPSS

Gunmen have again attacked the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, near Jos.

Dr Osime Samuel, Head of the Public Affairs Department of the institute, confirmed the incident in a statement on Thursday in Jos.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that on June 16, gunmen attacked and killed three security personnel at the institute.

Samuel, however, said that security personnel neutralised one of the suspects while repelling the attack.

“The Management of NIPSS wishes to inform the public that another attempt by unidentified armed assailants to breach the institute’s security perimeter was successfully repelled by security personnel.

“The attackers engaged security operatives in a gun duel but were forced to retreat following the swift and coordinated response of the security forces.

“One of the assailants was neutralised during the encounter, while others escaped with varying degrees of injuries.

“The Institute is pleased to report that there was no breach of the security perimeter.

“All participants, staff, residents and institute facilities remain safe and secure,” he said.

Samuel said that security agencies had intensified efforts to apprehend the fleeing suspects.

He added that surveillance and other proactive measures had been put in place to further strengthen security within and around the institute.

Meanwhile, the Berom Youth Moulders Association (BYM) has rejected any insinuation linking it to the string of attacks on NIPSS.

BYM linked the allegation to a report credited to Zagazola Makama, said to be a military strategist.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Rwang Tengwong, BYM said it did not have any militia group, contrary to claims that the spate of attacks was perpetrated by armed groups linked to the Berom ethnic group.

The statement said, “BYM strongly rejects and condemns the reckless, misleading and unsubstantiated report published by Zagazola Makama alleging that the person neutralised during the recent attack around the premises of National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies was a ‘Berom militia member’.

“First and foremost, the Berom nation does not have any militia group. If indeed the Berom people had a militia as falsely alleged, armed Fulani terrorists would not have continued to invade our communities, kill our people, destroy our farms and displace indigenous populations across several communities in Plateau State with alarming frequency.”

The association asked the writer of the report to explain how he arrived at the conclusion that the deceased individual was Berom.

They asked, “Was his ethnicity inscribed on his forehead? Was there any forensic investigation, DNA analysis or family identification process carried out before such a sensitive conclusion was reached?

“BYM challenges the publisher to publicly provide the identity of the deceased, including his name, family and community, so that the public and independent observers can verify the claim. Anything short of this amounts to deliberate misinformation capable of inflaming tensions and undermining ongoing security efforts.

“It is on record that following the incident, the leadership of Operation Enduring Peace contacted leaders of the Berom community in Kuru for possible identification of the deceased. The community leadership categorically confirmed that the corpse was not that of any known member of the Berom community in Kuru.

“It must also be stated that Kuru is a cosmopolitan community inhabited by several ethnic nationalities, including Fulani populations.

“Furthermore, many indigenous communities in the area have experienced displacement over the years, with settlements springing up around the Rafin Bauna axis behind NIPSS.

“To therefore single out one ethnic group without evidence raises serious questions about motive and intent.”

BYM challenged the source of the information relied upon by Zagazola Makama and called on the Defence Headquarters to invite him to provide evidence supporting his claims, adding that such information, if genuine, could provide valuable intelligence capable of leading security agencies to the perpetrators of attacks in the Kuru-Vom axis.

The statement further said, “However, if as alleged, the information originated from military sources, then Nigerians and indeed the international community must begin to question why an individual killed at the scene of a crime could immediately be assigned an ethnic identity without verification, forensic examination or DNA confirmation.”

BYM said it would continue to resist attempts to profile, stigmatise or criminalise the Berom people through misinformation and unverified security narratives, stating that such actions create the disturbing impression that there may be an ulterior agenda aimed at criminalising the Berom people and creating a false narrative against an already victimised community.