By Golok Nanmwa
No fewer than 20 security personnel and local vigilantes were killed when heavily armed terrorists ambushed a patrol team in the Garga area of Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.
Our correspondent reports that the tragic incident occurred around 4pm Friday when a combined team of military personnel and vigilantes, travelling in two vehicles on routine patrol across Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, and neighbouring communities, came under heavy fire near Wanka.
According to a press statement issued Saturday by the Kanam Development Association (KADA), about 12 security personnel, including two senior military officers, lost their lives in the fierce gun battle, while eight vigilante members who joined forces to defend their communities also paid the supreme price.
While some terrorists were reportedly neutralised during the exchange, the attackers later stormed Kyaram community, looting property worth millions of naira and rustling a large number of cattle from innocent residents.
The Kanam group described the attack as part of a prolonged wave of insecurity that has plagued the border communities linking Plateau with Taraba and Bauchi states for over three to four years.
The association highlighted recurring incidents of terrorism, cattle rustling, kidnappings, and property destruction, despite repeated appeals to authorities.
The statement jointly signed by Barr. Garba Aliyu, the chairman, and Shehu Kanam (secretary), expressed deep sorrow over the loss and condemned the continued freedom with which terrorists operate in the volatile border corridor.
They demanded urgent intervention from the local government, Plateau State Government, and Federal Government.
They also called for the immediate deployment of additional military and security forces to Garga, Kyaram, Gyambau, Wanka, and surrounding areas, as well as the establishment of permanent security outposts in these border communities.
“We called for enhanced coordinated operations along the Plateau-Taraba-Bauchi border as well as relief support for victims who have lost livelihoods, homes, and livestock,” the statement said.
The association stressed that the affected communities are law-abiding citizens seeking only to farm, raise families, and contribute to national development.
They extended their condolences to the Nigerian Armed Forces, families of the fallen soldiers and vigilantes, and the bereaved communities, urging authorities to treat the crisis as a national security and humanitarian emergency.
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