Tinubu Orders Tight Security After Deadly Attack on NIPSS Plateau Campus

(President Bola Tinubu. Photo by Arise News)

President Bola Tinubu has ordered an immediate and permanent reinforcement of security at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, Plateau State, following a deadly att@ck on the institute's perimeter that left two soldiers and a police officer d£ad.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Communications in the Office of the Vice President, Stanley Nkwocha, the directive was conveyed by Vice President Kashim Shettima during a visit to the institute on behalf of President Tinubu.

The president directed that emergency security measures be activated, instructing NIPSS management to work closely with the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force and the State Security Services to fortify the institution's perimeter without delay.

Vice President Shettima said a comprehensive security reinforcement plan, covering surveillance, personnel deployment, access control and emergency response systems, must be submitted to the Office of the Vice President within 72 hours, with weekly progress reports to follow until the work is fully completed.

He stressed that no future att@ck should find the institution unprepared.

The vice president also conveyed the federal government's condolences to the families of the slain security personnel, assuring them that their welfare would be the government's responsibility going forward, describing the sacrifice of the three men as one that would not be in vain.

An online news platform had earlier reported that gunmen att@cked the institute in Kuru, in Jos South Local Government Area, late on 15 June, triggering a gun battle between the assailants and security personnel guarding the premises.

No group has claimed responsibility for the att@ck. A staff member of the institute told journalists that the attackers opened fire on security operatives at the gate at about 11:40 p.m., before reinforcements arrived and repelled the assault.

NIPSS later confirmed the incident in a statement signed by its Head of Public Affairs Department, Osime Samuel, saying security agencies had brought the situation under control and commenced investigations.

The att@ck came amid a broader spate of insecurity in Plateau State.

The same online news platform reported that eight people were k!ll3d and more than ten injured on 15 June when gunmen att@cked Gwon-Ajang village in Foron District of Barkin Ladi Local Government Area during a birthday celebration.

Days earlier, on 11 June, the Berom Youth Moulders Association reported the k!ll!ng of two residents in the Ta-Hoss community of Riyom Local Government Area, with another resident k!ll3d the following day in Bangai.

Earlier still, at least seven people, including a police inspector, were k!ll3d during an att@ck in Barkin Ladi on 8 June, while 12 residents, including pregnant women and children, were k!ll3d in a midnight att@ck on the Ngbra-Zongo community in Bassa Local Government Area on 6 June.

Speaking during the visit, Plateau State Governor Caleb Mutfwang thanked the federal government for its support and approved requests for additional security measures around NIPSS, including the creation of a buffer zone and the installation of security lights to improve surveillance in the area.

NIPSS Director-General Ayo Omotayo described the att@ck as a reminder of the vulnerability of critical national institutions and called for the deployment of more security personnel and surveillance infrastructure, including closed-circuit television cameras.

The institute hosts senior government officials, military officers, academics and policymakers undergoing strategic leadership training and is regarded as Nigeria's foremost policy and research institution.