23rd June, 2023
By Monday Ijeh
The Department of State Services (DSS) has urged members of the public to be alert of terrorist threats as the Eid-el-Kabir holiday approaches.
Dr Peter Afunanya, the agency’s spokesperson warned that reports reaching it suggested preparations to assault church and recreational institutions before and during the festivities.
According to him, the recovery of prepared Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) from suspected terrorists during a joint operation by the department and its sister security agencies, backs up the findings.
He revealed that the department, in partnership with the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force, conducted raids on criminal hideouts in Kogi and Nasarawa states on Monday.
Afunanya further stated that the operation along the Abuja-Keffi Motorway in Nasarawa State’s Keffi Local Government Area resulted in the arrest of a suspected gunrunner.
During the operation, 486 rounds of 7.62 x39mm calibre ammunition, 22 primed IEDs, N31,500, and one Volkswagen Golf automobile with registration number RBC202XA were found, according to him.
Additionally, the combined security team on Thursday stormed the hideout of a former inmate and infamous gang leader at Ejule in Kogi’s Ofu Local Government Area.
The suspect’s gang members engaged forces in a gunfight, and the gang leader was neutralised while others fled, he added.
Meanwhile, Afunanya identified the things seized at the scene as one AK47 rifle with three fully loaded magazines, six locally-fabricated weapons, two phones, and charms.
He urged operators and customers of public areas, including as marketplaces and shopping malls, to be vigilant and report any suspicious movements or persons to the security agencies.
Afunanya pledged that the DSS would continue to collaborate with sister security agencies to conduct essential proactive drills to frustrate criminals and their operations.
NAN