(Troops of Operation. Photo Credit: Businessday)
Troops of Operation Enduring Peace, OPEP, have neutralised a suspected Berom militia member during a failed att@ck on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The troops also recovered a service rifle allegedly stolen from a soldier k!lled in an earlier att@ck.
The development was contained in a post shared on Thursday by security analyst and counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama via his social media handle.
According to intelligence sources cited by Makama, the att@ck occurred at about 12:10 a.m. on July 2 when suspected armed militia members attempted to breach the security perimeter of the strategic institution under the cover of darkness.
Troops of Sector 6 deployed to protect the facility reportedly responded swiftly, engaging the att@ckers in a gun battle.
During the exchange of fire, one of the suspected att@ckers was k!lled, while others fled towards the rocky terrain behind the institute.
A search conducted on the neutralised suspect led to the recovery of a service rifle bearing registration number CO-3175, which military authorities reportedly identified as belonging to a soldier k!lled during an att@ck on troops at the Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Vom, on April 11, 2026.
The recovered rifle, loaded with 16 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, has been taken into military custody.
The body of the slain suspect was evacuated to Keystone Hospital, Vom, before being deposited at the mortuary, while troops intensified patrols around the institute to prevent further att@cks and reassure residents.
The latest incident marks the third attempted att@ck on the NIPSS facility within weeks, underscoring persistent security concerns around the institution.
It will be recalled that on June 16, gunmen att@cked security personnel guarding the Moderator’s Quarters at NIPSS, k!lling Inspector Peter Joseph of the Force Headquarters Operations Department and two military personnel.
The att@ckers reportedly escaped with the inspector’s service pistol and two military rifles.
Similarly, on June 29, troops and other security agencies foiled another attempted infiltration after detecting suspicious movements around the institute, forcing the suspects to flee into nearby bushes.
Security sources said the recovery of the rifle stolen during the April att@ck could provide a major lead in ongoing investigations into armed militia activities in the Kuru-Vom axis, suggesting possible links between recent att@cks on security personnel in the area.
Military authorities have since reinforced security around NIPSS, with surveillance operations and aggressive patrols ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects.
The operation forms part of broader efforts by Operation Enduring Peace to dismantle armed militia networks and strengthen security across Plateau State.
