17th June, 2024
By Nkrumah Bankong-Obi/Lafia
The Nasarawa State Command of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC, on Monday, repelled an attack on its headquarters in Lafia.
The attack which was undertaken by an unspecified number of suspected bandits occurred in the early hours of Monday.
The Public Relations Officer of the Corps, Jerry Victor said that the gunmen, who tried to gain access into the facility, starting shooting sporadically to scare the people in the area.
The bandits, who came in their numbers were armed with guns, rods, and attempted to break part of the Command’s fence while some took positions around the building.
“The operatives of the NSCDC swiftly responded by opening fire on the hoodlums whose mission was to release some high-profile suspected criminals including informants of kidnappers in the custody of the Command,” the spokesman said.
He said no casualty was recorded during the gun duel between the law enforcement agents and the assailants, saying that normalcy has returned to the Command.
Victor also said that five key suspects were in custody of the Command for various offences including; two informants of kidnappers of the father of a former Attorney-general and Commissioner of Justice in the State, Daniel Umaru Lagi, who was killed even while ransom had been collected.
Lafia has witnessed an upsurge in kidnapping and other violent crimes in recent times.
The Chairman of Lafia Local Government Council declared a curfew in the area about a week ago, restricting movement of various categories of automobiles to scheduled time, in a bid to check the spike in criminal activities.