June 18, 2026
When Major General Rabe Abubakar (Retd), former army spokesperson, died in captivity on Saturday, June 13, all hell broke loose. Understandably. He was not an ordinary Nigerian. But knowing the country well, all it takes to forget him is another high-profile abduction. And that nearly happened when news broke on Tuesday that terrorists attacked the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru, near Jos, on Monday night killing two soldiers and a policeman.
NIPSS is Nigeria’s premier policy think tank and executive leadership training institution where some of the country’s most consummate public servants, senior military commanders, police and intelligence chiefs, diplomats, and private sector leading lights gather annually to reflect on the future of the country.
For now, nobody knows the motive of the gunmen but had they succeeded in their evil enterprise of killing and maiming or even abduction of any of the high profile participants, the impact would have been consequential. Already, some commentators say the attack is unprecedented in its brazenness considering that the Institute is a high-security zone. But such people forget that on August 24, 2021, terrorists attacked the permanent site of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) in Afaka, Kaduna State, infiltrated the officers’ quarters, killed two military officers – a Major and a Squadron Leader – and abducted Major Christopher Datong. He was only rescued by security forces 24 days later.
