Abuja residents were rattled on Sunday by sporadic gunshots which lasted for over one hour thus prompting fears that the federal capital city may have come under the attack of the dreaded Boko Haram sect. But the Department of State Security Service (DSS), was quick to confirm that an attempt by one of the suspects detained at its headquarters in Asokoro district of Abuja to escape led to the gun duel. The jail break was however successfully foiled. Our Abuja correspondent said residents of Asokoro and environ told of how they were rattled by repeated gunshots.

In a statement by its Deputy Director (Public Relations) Ms Marilyn Ogar, the DSS said, “at 07:15 hours, the Service suspect handler went to the detention facility within the Headquarters to feed the suspects.”

According to the statement, one of the suspects attempted to disarm the Service suspect handler “by hitting him at the back of his head with his handcuff.” It said the attempt by the unnamed suspect to escape drew the attention of other guards at the facility who fired some shots to warn and deter others.

“The gun shots attracted the attention of the military with whom we have an understanding of mutual assistance in the event of any threat. The Army immediately deployed a team to reinforce our perimeter guards to forestall any external collaborators,” Ms Ogar said.

She assured that the situation had since been brought under control, while promising that further details would be communicated.

The DSS spokesperson did not say whether there were casualties in the attack, but military helicopters deployed were seen hovering around the area.

One of the on-line publications, PREMIUM TIMES, had earlier reported that there had been “heavy gunfire exchanges around the vicinity of Nigeria’s presidential palace and the headquarters of the Department of State Services in the Asokoro District of  Abuja in the past one hour.”

The expansive headquarters of the State Security Service, popularly known as Yellow House, is almost adjacent one of the remote gates of the presidential villa.

Residents of the nearby Aso Drive Area said the gunshots were either coming out of the SSS headquarters or the presidential villa.

A resident of the area told PREMIUM TIMES, “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.”

It was not immediately clear how detainees, held in the highly fortified complex, got guns with which they shot at soldiers and SSS operatives for over an hour.