No fewer than 20 security operatives and local vigilantes have been killed after heavily armed bandits ambushed a joint patrol team in communities within Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred on Friday afternoon around Wanka and nearby communities in the Garga axis.
The Kanam Development Association disclosed the incident in a statement issued in Dengi and signed by its secretary, ND Shehu Kanam, and chairman, Garba G. Aliyu.
According to the association, the victims included 12 security personnel—among them two senior military officers—and eight vigilante members assisting security forces in protecting local communities.
The patrol team, made up of soldiers and local vigilantes, was reportedly travelling in two vehicles during a routine operation across the communities of Garga, Kyaram and Gyambau when hundreds of bandits launched a surprise attack on their way to Wanka at about 2:00 p.m.
“In the unfortunate exchange of gunfire that followed the ambush, our nation lost brave defenders who paid the ultimate price in the line of duty,” the statement read.
The association described the deaths as “deeply painful and unacceptable,” noting that the fallen operatives were defending rural communities that have suffered repeated attacks in recent years.
Following the ambush, the attackers reportedly moved into Kyaram community, where they looted property worth millions of naira and rustled a large number of cattle belonging to residents.
KADA warned that the incident reflects a worsening security crisis affecting communities around Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau and other settlements located along the border areas of Taraba State, Bauchi State, and Plateau.
The group said the affected communities have faced persistent attacks, kidnappings and cattle rustling over the past three to four years despite repeated appeals to authorities.
It therefore called on the federal, state and local governments to urgently intervene by deploying additional security personnel and establishing a permanent security presence in the troubled areas.
The association also urged coordinated security operations along the Plateau–Taraba–Bauchi border corridor, which it said bandits exploit due to difficult terrain.
Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Nigerian Armed Forces and the Nigeria Police Force were unsuccessful as of press time.
