Bandit Attack in Plateau State Claims 20 Lives

On Friday, a bandit attack in Plateau State resulted in the deaths of 20 security personnel, including two senior military officers and eight local vigilantes. The incident occurred around 4 PM when a combined team of military personnel and local vigilantes was ambushed near Wanka in the Kanam Local Government Area while on routine patrol.

The Kanam Development Association reported that the bandits, heavily armed, attacked the patrol team consisting of two vehicles. Following the ambush, the bandits reportedly killed during the exchange also stormed the Kyaram community, looting properties worth millions of naira and rustling a large number of cattle.

The association described the attack as part of a prolonged wave of insecurity affecting border communities in Plateau, Taraba, and Bauchi states over the past three to four years. They called for urgent government intervention, including the deployment of additional military forces to establish a permanent security outpost in the affected areas.

Capt. Chinonso Oteh, a spokesman for the Joint Military Taskforce in Plateau State, confirmed the losses and expressed deep sorrow over the tragic incident.