Reports reaching us indicate there was shooting in the vicinity of
Nigeria's Presidential palace and the headquarters of the Department of
State Services in the Asokoro District of Abuja.
The
expansive headquarters of the State Security Service, popularly known
as Yellow House, is adjacent to one of the remote gates of the
Presidential villa.
According to security sources and residents of
the nearby Aso Drive area, the gunshots were either coming out of the
SSS headquarters or the Presidential villa.
One local resident said,
"We don't know what's going on here. Heavy gunfire has been coming from
the direction of the villa. The entire area has been barricaded. SSS
operatives are scampering out of their headquarters as the gunshots get
louder.
"Soldiers are now heading in the direction of the SSS
headquarters with Armoured Personnel Carriers. Those of us living around
here have been asked to stay indoors and not venture out."
The
spokesperson of the SSS, Marilyn Ogar said the shooting was about an
attempted jailbreak at the Service's headquarters by suspected members
of Boko Haram sect.
She said, "What happened was that the suspects
handlers went to feed the detainees here but suddenly they attacked him
with their handcuffs, disarmed him and started shooting.
"The
military was quickly called in before they could do any harm and that is
responsible for the shootings you heard. It was an attempted jailbreak
but it has been brought under control."
Comments
Post a Comment