The number of casualties in Friday’s bandit attack in Wanka district of Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State has surpassed twenty. The attackers were Nigerian Army personnel and other security officers.
This comes after further fatalities were reported by security officials and the Kanam Development Association (KADA).
A group of vigilantes and military personnel were ambushed on Friday while conducting routine patrols in two vehicles through the local government area’s Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and adjacent communities. The attack resulted in heavy casualties.
Initial accounts said that the assailants murdered three military officials, one of whom was a captain, along with around seven members of the vigilante organization.
But the Kanam group acknowledged in a statement late Saturday that more than 20 workers were shot and killed by the heavily armed attackers.
Twelve security personnel were killed instantly during the attack, and eight vigilante members who fought together to protect their communities also died. This information was conveyed in a statement signed by Garba Aliyu, the chairman of KADA, and Shehu Kanam, the secretary.
The organization went on to say that the assailants later attacked the Kyaram Community, robbing inhabitants of animals and properties valued in the millions of naira. The exact number of casualties was not disclosed.
Here is a portion of the statement:
Tragically, at approximately 2:00 p.m. yesterday, bandits attacked Wanka and the neighbouring communities in the Garga region of Kanam Local Government region in Plateau State. The Kanam Development Association (KADA) expresses its deepest sadness, outrage, and severe worry over this incident.
On their route to Wanka, hundreds of armed bandits ambushed security forces on routine patrol in the communities of Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and other nearby settlements, according to confirmed accounts accessible to our association. In two cars, the patrol team was made up of military men and local vigilantes.
There was a tragic exchange of gunfire following the attack, and our country lost valiant defenders who gave their lives protecting us. Two senior military officers were among the twelve security men slain.
Eight brave vigilantes who had banded together to defend their towns also perished. Our security personnel and community defenders suffered very painful and inexcusable losses, even though reports indicate that some of the bandits were neutralised during the fight.
According to the group, the attack is just the latest episode in a long line of violent crimes that have rocked the Kanam border communities between Plateau and Taraba and Bauchi States for years. Despite numerous pleas to the authorities, the communities have continued to face banditry, cattle rustling, kidnappings, and property destruction.
It further demanded the installation of permanent security outposts in the border communities of Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and Wanka and the prompt deployment of extra security and military personnel to these locations and the adjacent regions.
The group also demanded that the federal, state, and regional governments step in immediately to aid the impacted communities’ victims and displaced residents.
A statement was issued requesting relief assistance for victims who have lost their livelihoods, houses, and cattle, along with better coordinated efforts along the Plateau-Taraba-Bauchi border.