By Francis Nansak, Lafia
Operatives of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps NSCDC in Nasarawa State have repelled an attempted attack on its state command in Lafia by suspected bandits.
The State Public Relations Officer of NSCDC Mr Jerry Victor confirmed to newsmen that an unspecified number of gunmen suspected to be bandits invaded the headquarters of the corps in the early hours of Monday.
Mr Jerry Victor pointed out that the gunmen who came in large numbers with iron rods attempted to break some part of the command’s fence to gain entry into the facility while some of them took different positions around the building.
He explained that 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 NSCDC spokesperson who noted that no casualty was recorded during the gun battle between the attackers and operatives of the command however said calm had been restored.
Mr Jerry Victor disclosed that five notorious suspects were detained by the command for various crimes including two informants of kidnappers of the 82-year-old father of a former state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Mr Daniel Umaru Lagi who was killed by his abductors after payment of ransom recently.
There has been increasing cases of kidnapping in Lafia the Nasarawa State capital leading to the restriction of movement for motorcycles and tricycles between eight o’clock in the evening and six o’clock in the morning by the authority of the Local Government.