No fewer than 70 vigilantes have reportedly been killed following a deadly ambush by armed bandits in Kukawa and Bunyun communities of Kanam Local Government Area, Plateau State.
According to local sources, the attack occurred around 2 p.m. on Tuesday when hundreds of vigilante members from Wase LGA were on their way to confront suspected bandits in their hideouts. They were ambushed near the Government Forest Reserve, which borders Bauchi and Taraba states.
Chairman of the Kukawa vigilante group, Aliyu Baffa, confirmed the incident to journalists, stating that over 70 members were killed in the ambush, with more bodies likely to be recovered as search efforts continue in surrounding bushes and farmlands.
“We have buried more than 60 of the 70 bodies here in Kukawa alone,” Baffa said. “Some of those who managed to escape said they were completely overwhelmed by the bandits.”
Baffa added that several bodies were found on nearby farmlands, indicating the scale and intensity of the ambush, which took place just a kilometre from Kukawa town.
In Bunyun community, another resident, Musa Ibrahim, reported that 10 vigilantes were killed during a separate attack by the same bandits, who also burned several houses in the area.
Meanwhile, Plateau State Governor Caleb Muftwang has raised concerns over the rising wave of insecurity, revealing that over 64 communities have been taken over by bandits. The governor had earlier inaugurated a fact-finding committee to explore sustainable solutions to the worsening security crisis in the state.
