Prosper Okoye
At least 20 security personnel have been killed in an ambush by armed bandits in the Wanka district of Kanam Local Government Area in Nigeria’s Plateau State, local sources said Saturday.
The attack, which occurred on Friday around 4 p.m., targeted a patrol team comprising military personnel and local vigilantes in the Garga area. Initial reports had put the death toll at 10.
Eyewitnesses said the patrol, moving in two vehicles across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and surrounding communities, came under heavy gunfire. Media reports claimed that 12 security officers, including two senior military officers, and eight vigilantes were killed in the clash. Some of the attackers were reportedly neutralised during the firefight.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelFollowing the ambush, bandits reportedly regrouped and raided Kyaram community, looting property worth millions of naira and rustling large numbers of cattle.
In a statement, KADA condemned the continued freedom of bandits in the border corridor connecting Plateau with Taraba and Bauchi states, describing the incident as part of a prolonged wave of insecurity over the past three to four years.
The association called for urgent intervention from local, state, and federal authorities, including the immediate deployment of additional security forces and the establishment of permanent outposts in the affected areas. It also urged coordinated operations along the Plateau-Taraba-Bauchi border and support for victims who lost homes, livestock, and livelihoods.
“These communities are agrarian and law-abiding citizens seeking only to farm, raise families, and contribute to national development,” the statement said, extending condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, families of the fallen, and the affected communities.
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There has been no immediate comment from Operation Safe Haven headquarters in Jos.
Prosper Okoye is a Correspondent and Research Writer at Prime Business Africa, a Nigerian journalist with experience in development reporting, public affairs, and policy-focused storytelling across Africa
