The Department of State Services has raised the alarm of planned attacks on worship and recreational centres before and during Eid Kabir celebrations scheduled to hold next week.
In a statement released, the spokesperson of the DSS, Peter Afunanya, said the recent recovery of Improvised Explosive Devices from terrorists in joint operations by the service, personnel of the Nigerian Army and Police, lent credence to the planned attack.
He appealed to operators of malls among others to be vigilant.
“The DSS calls for vigilance before the Eid celebrations more so that reports had indicated plans to attack worship and recreational centres before and during the festivities. This is evident in the recovery of primed IEDs among the suspected terrorists.
Operators and patrons of public places, including markets, malls, etc are advised to be watchful and report any suspicious movements and persons to the relevant security agencies. Accordingly, the service will continue to partner with sister agencies for necessary proactive drills to frustrate criminals and their activities.”
The DSS added that in a joint operation with the Army and the police carried out in Nasarawa, and Kogi states between June 19 and 22, led to the killing of a gang leader, identified as Kabir Bala in Kogi.
“During the operation, the team seized the following insidious items: 486 rounds of 7.62 x39mm calibre ammunition;22 primed IEDs; N31,500 and One Volkswagen Golf vehicle with registration number- RBC202XA. Also, in another joint operation in the early hours of today, June 22, 2023, a team raided the hideout of Kabir Bala (aka Okwo), one-time jailbreaker and notorious gang leader in Ejule, Ofu LGA of Kogi State. Okwo and his gang members engaged the troops in a gun duel during which he was neutralised. Others, however, fled the area. Items recovered at the scene were one AK47 rifle with three fully-loaded magazines, six-locally fabricated weapons, two phones, and charms.” the statement read