The Kanam Development Association of Plateau State has raised the alarm over the killing of at least 20 security operatives, including soldiers and local vigilantes, during an attack by bandits in Kanam Local Government Area of the state.
The association said the victims were members of a patrol team ambushed in the Garga area on Friday.
It was gathered that the incident occurred around 4 p.m. when a joint team of military personnel and vigilante members, travelling in two vehicles on a routine patrol across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau and nearby communities, came under heavy attack from armed bandits near Wanka.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the group disclosed that about 12 security personnel, including two senior military officers, were killed during the gun battle, while eight vigilantes who joined the operation to defend their communities also lost their lives.
The association noted that although some of the attackers were reportedly killed during the exchange of gunfire, the bandits later invaded Kyaram community where they looted valuables worth millions of naira and rustled several cattle belonging to residents.
Describing the incident as part of the persistent security challenges facing the area, the group said communities along the borders linking Plateau with Taraba and Bauchi states had been battling banditry and other violent crimes for the past three to four years.
It lamented that the region had continued to witness repeated cases of cattle rustling, kidnappings, destruction of property and other criminal activities despite several appeals to authorities for intervention.
The statement, jointly signed by the Chairman and Secretary of the association, Garba Aliyu and Shehu Kanam, called on the government to urgently address the worsening security situation in the area.
The group also demanded the immediate deployment of additional military personnel and other security operatives to Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, Wanka and neighbouring communities.
It further urged authorities to establish permanent security outposts in the affected border communities to prevent further attacks.
“The Kanam Development Association expresses deep sorrow and concern over the tragic bandit attack that occurred in Wanka and surrounding communities in the Garga area of Kanam Local Government Area,” the statement partly read.
“Available reports indicate that security operatives on routine patrol across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau and neighbouring settlements were ambushed by a large number of heavily armed bandits on their way to Wanka.
“In the exchange of gunfire that followed, about 12 security personnel, including two senior military officers, lost their lives. Eight vigilante members who joined efforts to defend their communities were also killed.”
When contacted, the spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force in Plateau State, Capt. Chinonso Oteh, said an official statement on the incident would be released soon.
“I’m currently in Wase. A statement on the incident will be issued shortly,” he said.