NANS Speaks On Shooting At Abuja Convention, Says Sounds Of Gunshots From Security Men

The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has denied reports of fatalities at their ongoing national convention in Abuja.

Speaking to THE WHISTLER late Friday, the NANS Public Relations Officer, Victor Williams, refuted claims of shootings between rival factions and fatalities at the venue of the convention at the Old Parade Ground in Abuja.

While acknowledging disturbances and a physical confrontation at the venue of the convention, Victor clarified that the sounds heard were security personnel firing shots into the air to disperse the crowd and restore peace.

“There is no cause for alarm,” Victor told THE WHISTLER, noting that nobody was killed during the incident.

“I know the security agencies are duly doing their jobs,” he further commended the security agencies for their prompt intervention in handling the situation.

But Victor’s statement contradicts earlier reports claiming that fatalities were recorded during the incident. He insisted that the incident did not involve NANS members and was solely controlled by security forces.

While details of the incident remain sketchy, it resulted in the deployment of operatives from the State Security Service (SSS).

Peter Afunanya, the Supervising Director of the SSS Directorate of Public Relations and Strategic Communications, was unavailable as several calls put across to his phone failed to connect.

When contacted by our correspondent, the FCT Police Command spokesperson, Josephine Adeh, said she was out of town attending a conference and did not have enough information about the incident.

The NANS convention is being held to elect new leadership for the association. While accreditation of voters was said to have been suspended over the incident, the process is expected to resume Saturday.