Gunmen storm NIPSS HQ, two soldiers killed

Suspected gunmen attacked Nigeria’s National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State on Monday night, killing a police officer and two soldiers before being repelled from the residential quarters housing course participants.

Nigeria’s premier policy training institute came under armed attack Monday night — and it could have been far worse.

Suspected gunmen stormed the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) in Kuru, near Jos, Plateau State, at around 11:00 p.m. on June 15, attempting to breach the facility and reach the residential quarters where course participants were lodged, according to The Whistler.

Security personnel held the line, blocking the attackers from reaching the participants’ wing. But the fight wasn’t free of casualties: a police officer attached to a retired Deputy Inspector-General of Police, along with two soldiers, were reportedly killed in the exchange of gunfire.

NIPSS’s Head of Public Affairs, Dr. Osime Samuel, confirmed the attack but stopped short of confirming or denying casualties. He insisted the situation is now contained: “There is currently no threat to the safety of participants, staff, residents, or facilities of the Institute, and normal activities are continuing as scheduled.”

The institute urged calm, warning against speculation and asking the media and public to rely only on official channels for updates.

So far, no motive has been disclosed. Security has been beefed up around the facility, and a manhunt is underway.

NIPSS trains some of Nigeria’s top public officials, military officers, and policy strategists — making this attack particularly unsettling for a country already grappling with rising insecurity.