The death toll in Fridayâs attack on security officers in Wanka district of Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State has risen to 20.
Initial reports had put the death toll at 10. The security personnel, who were on a patrol team, were said to have been ambushed by heavily armed bandits in the Garga area of Kanam Local Government Area, Plateau State.
Eyewitnesses said that the tragic incident occurred around 4 pm on Friday when a combined team of military personnel and vigilantes, travelling in two vehicles on routine patrol across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and neighbouring communities, came under heavy attack near Wanka.
A press statement issued on Saturday by the Kanam Development Association (KADA) said about 20 security personnel, comprising 12 security personnel including two senior military officers, lost their lives in the fierce gun battle, while eight vigilante members who joined forces to repel the attack were also killed.
Our correspondent further gathered that some bandits were reportedly neutralised during the exchange.
The attackers later regrouped and attacked Kyaram community, looting properties worth millions of naira and rustling a large number of cattle from innocent residents.
The statement, jointly signed by the Chairman, Garba Aliyu, and the Secretary, Shehu Kanam, condemned the continued freedom with which bandits operate in the volatile border corridor.
While describing the attack as part of a prolonged wave of insecurity that has plagued the border communities linking Plateau with Taraba and Bauchi states for over three to four years, KADA expressed deep sorrow over the loss.
The association highlighted recurring incidents of banditry, cattle rustling, kidnappings, and property destruction, despite repeated appeals to authorities.
They demanded urgent intervention from the Local Government, Plateau State Government, and Federal Government, including the immediate deployment of additional military and security forces to Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, Wanka, and surrounding areas, as well as the establishment of permanent security outposts in these border communities.
âWe called for enhanced coordinated operations along the Plateau-Taraba-Bauchi border as well as relief support for victims who have lost livelihoods, homes, and livestock.â
The association said that the affected areas were only agrarian communities of law-abiding citizens seeking only to farm, raise families, and contribute to national development, and must not be left at the mercy of bandits.
KADA extended their condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, families of the fallen soldiers and vigilantes, and the bereaved communities.
They urged the federal government to treat the crisis as a national security and humanitarian emergency.
As of reporting, there has been no official response from the headquarters of Operation Safe Haven in Jos.
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